mmmmmmm  :<  m\mm  .  •<• 


J4 


S 


A  CHICAGO   PRINCESS 


The  twinkling  eyes   of   the  Emperor  fixed  themselves 

on  Miss  Hemster." 

Page  144. 


A   CHICAGO 
PRINCESS 

By     ROBERT     BARR 

Author   of    "Over   the   Border,"    "The  Victors,"   "Tekla," 
"In   the   Midst  of  Alarms,"    "A   Woman   Intervenes,"   etc. 

Illustrated  by  FRANCIS  P.  WIGHTMAN 


GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

NEW    YORK 


TJNTV.  OF  CAT  -ART.  LOS 


Copyright,    1904,   by 
ROBERT     BARR 


All  rights  reserved 
This  edition  published  in  June,   1904 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 


CHAPTER   I 

WHEN  I  look  back  upon  a  certain  hour  of  my 
life  it  fills  me  with  wonder  that  I  should 
have  been  so  peacefully  happy.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  utter  despair  is  not  without  its  alloy  of 
joy.  The  man  who  daintily  picks  his  way  along  a 
muddy  street  is  anxious  lest  he  soil  his  polished  boots, 
or  turns  up  his  coat  collar  to  save  himself  from  the 
shower  that  is  beginning,  eager  then  to  find  a  shelter ; 
but  let  him  inadvertently  step  into  a  pool,  plunging 
head  over  ears  into  foul  water,  and  after  that  he  has  no 
more  anxiety.  Nothing  that  weather  can  inflict  will 
add  to  his  misery,  and  consequently  a  ray  of  happiness 
illumines  his  gloomy  horizon.  He  has  reached  the 
limit ;  Fate  can  do  no  more ;  and  there  is  a  satisfaction 
in  attaining  the  ultimate  of  things.  So  it  was  with  me 
that  beautiful  day ;  I  had  attained  my  last  phase. 

I  was  living  in  the  cheapest  of  all  paper  houses,  liv- 
ing as  the  Japanese  themselves  do,  on  a  handful  of 
rice,  and  learning  by  experience  how  very  little  it  re- 
quires to  keep  body  and  soul  together.  But  now,  when 
I  had  my  next  meal  of  rice,  it  would  be  at  the  expense 

I 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

of  my  Japanese  host,  who  was  already  beginning  to 
suspect, — so  it  seemed  to  me, — that  I  might  be  unable 
to  liquidate  whatever  debt  I  incurred.  He  was  very  po- 
lite about  it,  but  in  his  twinkling  little  eyes  there  lurked 
suspicion.  I  have  travelled  the  whole  world  over,  es- 
pecially the  East,  and  I  find  it  the  same  everywhere. 
When  a  man  comes  down  to  his  final  penny,  some 
subtle  change  in  his  deportment  seems  to  make  the 
whole  world  aware  of  it.  But  then,  again,  this  sup- 
posed knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  world  may  have 
existed  only  in  my  own  imagination,  as  the  Christian 
Scientists  tell  us  every  ill  resides  in  the  mind.  Per- 
haps, after  all,  my  little  bowing  landlord  was  not 
troubling  himself  about  the  payment  of  the  bill,  and  I 
only  fancied  him  uneasy. 

If  an  untravelled  person,  a  lover  of  beauty,  were 
sitting  in  my  place  on  that  little  elevated  veranda,  it  is 
possible  the  superb  view  spread  out  before  him  might 
account  for  serenity  in  circumstances  which  to  the  or- 
dinary individual  would  be  most  depressing.  But  the 
view  was  an  old  companion  of  mine ;  goodness  knows 
I  had  looked  at  it  often  enough  when  I  climbed  that 
weary  hill  and  gazed  upon  the  town  below  me,  and  the 
magnificent  harbor  of  Nagasaki  spreading  beyond. 
The  water  was  intensely  blue,  dotted  with  shipping  of 
all  nations,  from  the  stately  men-of-war  to  the  ocean 
tramps  and  the  little  coasting  schooners.  It  was  an 
ever-changing,  animated  scene;  but  really  I  had  had 
enough  of  it  during  all  those  ineffective  months  of 
struggle  in  the  attempt  to  earn  even  the  rice  and  the 
poor  lodging  which  I  enjoyed. 

2 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

Curiously,  it  was  not  of  this  harbor  I  was  thinking, 
but  of  another  in  far-distant  Europe,  that  of  Boulogne 
in  the  north  of  France,  where  I  spent  a  day  with  my 
own  yacht  before  I  sailed  for  America.  And  it  was  a 
comical  thought  that  brought  the  harbor  of  Boulogne 
to  my  mind.  I  had  seen  a  street  car  there,  labelled 
"  Le  Dernier  Sou,"  which  I  translated  as  meaning 
"  The  Last  Cent."  I  never  took  a  trip  on  this  street 
car,  but  I  presume  somewhere  in  the  outskirts  of 
Boulogne  there  is  a  suburb  named  "  The  Last  Cent," 
and  I  thought  now  with  a  laugh :  "  Here  I  am  in  Japan, 
and  although  I  did  not  take  that  street  car,  yet  I  have 
arrived  at  '  Le  Dernier  Sou.'  " 

This  morning  I  had  not  gone  down  to  the  harbor  to 
prosecute  my  search  for  employment.  As  with  my  last 
cent,  I  had  apparently  given  that  idea  up.  There  was 
no  employer  needing  men  to  whom  I  had  not  applied 
time  and  again,  willing  to  take  the  laborer's  wage  for 
the  laborer's  work.  But  all  my  earlier  training  had 
been  by  way  of  making  me  a  gentleman,  and  the  man- 
ner was  still  upon  me  in  spite  of  my  endeavors  to  shake 
it  off,  and  I  had  discovered  that  business  men  do  not 
wish  gentlemen  as  day-laborers.  There  was  every 
reason  that  I  should  be  deeply  depressed ;  yet,  strange 
to  say,  I  was  not.  Had  I  at  last  reached  the  lotus- 
eating  content  of  the  vagabond?  Was  this  care- free 
condition  the  serenity  of  the  tramp  ?  Would  my  next 
step  downward  be  the  unblushing  begging  of  food, 
with  the  confidence  that  if  I  were  refused  at  one  place 
I  should  4-eceive  at  another?  With  later  knowledge, 
looking  back  at  that  moment  of  mitigated  happiness,  I 

3 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

am  forced  to  believe  that  it  was  the  effect  of  coming 
events  casting  their  shadows  before.  Some  occultists 
tell  us  that  every  action  that  takes  place  on  the  earth, 
no  matter  how  secretly  done,  leaves  its  impression  on 
some  ethereal  atmosphere,  visible  to  a  clairvoyant,  who 
can  see  and  describe  to  us  exactly  what  has  taken  place. 
If  this  be  true,  it  is  possible  that  our  future  experiences 
may  give  sub-mental  warnings  of  their  approach. 

As  I  sat  there  in  the  warm  sunlight  and  looked  over 
the  crowded  harbor,  I  thought  of  the  phrase,  "  When 
my  ship  comes  in."  There  was  shipping  enough  in 
the  bay,  and  possibly,  if  I  could  but  have  known  where, 
some  friend  of  mine  might  at  that  moment  be  tramping 
a  white  deck,  or  sitting  in  a  steamer  chair,  looking  up 
at  terrace  upon  terrace  of  the  toy  houses  among  which 
I  kept  my  residence.  Perhaps  my  ship  had  come  in 
already  if  only  I  knew  which  were  she.  As  I  lay  back 
on  the  light  bamboo  chair,  along  which  I  had  thrown 
myself, —  a  lounging,  easy,  half-reclining  affair  like 
those  we  used  to  have  at  college, —  I  gazed  upon  the 
lower  town  and  harbor,  taking  in  the  vast  blue  surface 
of  the  bay ;  and  there  along  the  indigo  expanse  of  the 
waters,  in  striking  contrast  to  them,  floated  a  brilliantly 
white  ship  gradually,  imperceptibly  approaching.  The 
canvas,  spread  wing  and  wing,  as  it  increased  in  size, 
gave  it  the  appearance  of  a  swan  swimming  toward  me, 
and  I  thought  lazily: 

"  It  is  like  a  dove  coming  to  tell  me  that  my  deluge 
of  misery  is  past,  and  there  is  an  olive-branch  of  foam 
in  its  beak." 

As  the  whole  ship  became  visible  I  saw  that  it,  like 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  canvas,  was  pure  white,  and  at  first  I  took  it  for  a 
large  sailing  yacht  rapidly  making  Nagasaki  before 
the  gentle  breeze  that  was  blowing;  but  as  she  drew 
near  I  saw  that  she  was  a  steamer,  whose  trim  lines, 
despite  her  size,  were  somewhat  unusual  in  these 
waters.  If  this  were  indeed  a  yacht  she  must  be  owned 
by  some  man  of  great  wealth,  for  she  undoubtedly  cost 
a  fortune  to  build  and  a  very  large  income  to  maintain. 
As  she  approached  the  more  crowded  part  of  the  bay, 
her  sails  were  lowered  and  she  came  slowly  in  on  her 
own  momentum.  I  fancied  I  heard  the  rattle  of  the 
chain  as  her  anchor  plunged  into  the  water,  and  now  I 
noticed  with  a  thrill  that  made  me  sit  up  in  my  loung- 
ing chair  that  the  flag  which  flew  at  her  stern  was  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  It  is  true  that  I  had  little  cause  to 
be  grateful  to  the  country  which  this  piece  of  bunting 
represented,  for  had  it  not  looted  me  of  all  I  possessed  ? 
Nevertheless  in  those  distant  regions  an  Englishman 
regards  the  United  States  flag  somewhat  differently 
from  that  of  any  nation  save  his  own.  Perhaps  there 
is  an  unconscious  feeling  of  kinship ;  perhaps  the  simi- 
larity of  language  may  account  for  it,  because  an 
Englishman  understands  American  better  than  any 
other  foreign  tongue.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  listless- 
ness  departed  from  me  as  I  gazed  upon  that  banner,  as 
crude  and  gaudy  as  our  own,  displaying  the  most  strik- 
ing of  the  primary  colors.  The  yacht  rested  on  the 
blue  waters  as  gracefully  as  if  she  were  a  large  white 
waterfowl,  and  I  saw  the  sampans  swarm  around  her 
like  a  fluffy  brood  of  ducklings. 

And  now  I  became  conscious  that  the  most  polite  in- 

5 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

dividual  in  the  world  was  making  an  effort  to  secure 
my  attention,  yet  striving  to  accomplish  his  purpose  in 
the  most  unobtrusive  way.  My  patient  and  respected 
lai:dlord,  Yansan,  was  making  deep  obeisances  before 
me,  and  he  held  in  his  hand  a  roll  which  I  strongly 
suspected  to  be  my  overdue  bill.  I  had  the  merit  in 
Yansan's  eyes  of  being  able  to  converse  with  him  in  his 
own  language,  and  the  further  advantage  to  myself  of 
being  able  to  read  it ;  therefore  he  bestowed  upon  me  a 
respect  which  he  did  not  accord  to  all  Europeans. 

"  Ah,  Yansan ! "  I  cried  to  him,  taking  the  bull  by 
the  horns,  "  I  was  just  thinking  of  you.  I  wish  you 
would  be  more  prompt  in  presenting  your  account. 
By  such  delay  errors  creep  into  it  which  I  am  unable 
to  correct." 

Yansan  awarded  me  three  bows,  each  lower  than  the 
one  preceding  it,  and,  while  bending  his  back,  endeav- 
ored, though  with  some  confusion,  to  conceal  the  roll 
in  his  wide  sleeve.  Yansan  was  possessed  of  much 
shrewdness,  and  the  bill  certainly  was  a  long  stand- 
ing one. 

"  Your  Excellency,"  he  began,  "  confers  too  much 
honor  on  the  dirt  beneath  your  feet  by  mentioning  the 
trivial  sum  that  is  owing.  Nevertheless,  since  it  is 
your  Excellency's  command,  I  shall  at  once  retire  and 
prepare  the  document  for  you." 

"  Oh,  don't  trouble  about  that,  Yansan,"  I  said, 
"  just  pull  it  out  of  your  sleeve  and  let  me  look  over 
it." 

The  wrinkled  face  screwed  itself  up  into  a  grimace 
more  like  that  of  a  monkey  than  usual,  and  so,  with 

6 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

various  genuflections,  Yansan  withdrew  the  roll  and 
proffered  it  to  me.  Therein,  in  Japanese  characters, 
was  set  down  the  long  array  of  my  numerous  debts  to 
him.  Now,  in  whatever  part  of  the  world  a  man 
wishes  to  delay  the  payment  of  a  bill,  the  proper  course 
is  to  dispute  one  or  more  of  its  items,  and  this  accord- 
ingly I  proceeded  to  do. 

"  I  grieve  to  see,  Yansan,"  I  began,  putting  my  fin- 
ger on  the  dishonest  hieroglyphic,  "  that  on  the  fourth 
day  you  have  set  down  against  me  a  repast  of  rice, 
whereas  you  very  well  know  on  that  occasion  I  did  my- 
self the  honor  to  descend  into  the  town  and  lunch  with 
his  Excellency  the  Governor." 

Again  Yansan  lowered  his  ensign  three  times,  then 
deplored  the  error  into  which  he  had  fallen,  saying  it 
would  be  immediately  rectified. 

"  There  need  to  be  no  undue  hurry  about  the  rectifi- 
cation," I  replied,  "  for  when  it  comes  to  a  settlement 
I  shall  not  be  particular  about  the  price  of  a  plate  of 
rice." 

Yansan  was  evidently  much  gratified  to  hear  this, 
but  I  could  see  that  my  long  delay  in  liquidating  his 
account  was  making  it  increasingly  difficult  for  him  to 
subdue  his  anxiety.  The  fear  of  monetary  loss  was 
struggling  with  his  native  politeness.  Then  he  used 
the  formula  which  is  correct  the  world  over. 

"  Excellency,  I  am  a  poor  man,  and  next  week  have 
heavy  payments  to  make  to  a  creditor  who  will  put  me 
in  prison  if  I  produce  not  the  money." 

"Very  well,"  said  I  grandly,  waving  my  hand  to- 
ward the  crowded  harbor,  "  my  ship  has  come  in  where 

7 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

you  see  the  white  against  the  blue.  To-morrow  you 
shall  be  paid." 

Yansan  looked  eagerly  in  the  direction  of  my  ges- 
ture. 

"  She  is  English,"  he  said. 

"  No,  American." 

"  It  is  a  war-ship  ?  " 

"  No,  she  belongs  to  a  private  person,  not  to  the 
Government." 

"  Ah,  he  must  be  a  king,  then, —  a  king  of  that 
country." 

/  Not  so,  Yansan ;  he  is  one  of  many  kings,  a  pork 
king,  or  an  oil  king  or  a  railroad  king." 

"  Surely  there  cannot  be  but  one  king  in  a  country, 
Excellency,"  objected  Yansan. 

"  Ah,  you  are  thinking  of  a  small  country  like  Japan. 
One  king  does  for  such  a  country;  but  America  is 
larger  than  many  Japans,  therefore  it  has  numerous 
kings,  and  here  below  us  is  one  of  them." 

"  I  should  think,  Excellency,"  said  Yansan,  "  that 
they  would  fight  with  one  another." 

"  That  they  do,  and  bitterly,  too,  in  a  way  your  kings 
never  thought  of.  I  myself  was  grievously  wounded 
in  one  of  their  slightest  struggles.  That  flag  which 
you  see  there  waves  over  my  fortune.  Many  a  million 
of  sen  pieces  which  once  belonged  to  me  rest  secure  for 
other  people  under  its  folds." 

My  landlord  lifted  his  hands  in  amazement  at  my 
immense  wealth. 

"  This,  then,  is  perhaps  the  treasure-ship  bringing 
money  to  your  Excellency,"  he  exclaimed,  awestricken. 

8 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  That's  just  what  it  is,  Yansan,  and  I  must  go 
down  and  collect  it;  so  bring  me  a  dinner  of  rice,  that 
I  may  be  prepared  to  meet  the  captain  who  carries  my 
fortune." 


CHAPTER   II 

AFTER  a  frugal  repast  I  went  down  the  hill  to 
the  lower  town,  and  on  inquiry  at  the  cus- 
tom-house learned  that  the  yacht  was  named 
the  "  Michigan,"  and  that  she  was  owned  by  Silas  K. 
Hemster,  of  Chicago.  So  far  as  I  could  learn,  the 
owner  had  not  come  ashore;  therefore  I  hired  a 
sampan  from  a  boatman  who  trusted  me.  I  was  al- 
ready so  deeply  in  his  debt  that  he  was  compelled  to 
carry  me,  inspired  by  the  optimistic  hope  that  some  day 
the  tide  of  my  fortunes  would  turn.  I  believe  that  com- 
mercial institutions  are  sometimes  helped  over  a  crisis 
in  the  same  manner,  as  they  owe  so  much  their  creditors 
dare  not  let  them  sink.  Many  a  time  had  this  lad  fer- 
ried me  to  one  steamer  after  another,  until  now  his 
anxiety  that  I  should  obtain  remunerative  employment 
was  nearly  as  great  as  my  own. 

As  we  approached  the  "  Michigan  "  I  saw  that  a 
rope  ladder  hung  over  the  side,  and  there  leaned  against 
the  rail  a  very  free-and-easy  sailor  in  white  duck,  who 
was  engaged  in  squirting  tobacco- juice  into  Nagasaki 
Bay.  Intuitively  I  understood  that  he  had  sized  up 
the  city  of  Nagasaki  and  did  not  think  much  of  it. 
Probably  it  compared  unfavorably  with  Chicago.  The 
seaman  made  no  opposition  to  my  mounting  the  ladder ; 

10 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

in  fact  he  viewed  my  efforts  with  the  greatest  indiffer- 
ence. Approaching  him,  I  asked  if  Mr.  Hemster  was 
aboard,  and  with  a  nod  of  his  head  toward  the  after 
part  of  the  vessel  he  said,  "  That's  him." 

Looking  aft,  I  now  noticed  a  man  sitting  in  a  cush- 
ioned cane  chair,  with  his  two  feet  elevated  on  the  spot- 
less rail  before  him.  He  also  was  clothed  in  light  sum- 
mer garb,  and  had  on  his  head  a  somewhat  disreputable 
slouch  hat  with  a  very  wide  brim.  His  back  was  to- 
ward Nagasaki,  as  if  he  had  no  interest  in  the  place. 
He  revolved  an  unlit  cigar  in  his  mouth,  in  a  manner 
quite  impossible  to  describe;  but  as  I  came  to  know 
him  better  I  found  that  he  never  lit  his  weed,  but  kept 
its  further  end  going  round  and  round  in  a  little  circle 
by  a  peculiar  motion  of  his  lips.  Though  he  used  the 
very  finest  brand  of  cigars,  none  ever  lasted  him  for 
more  than  ten  minutes,  when  he  would  throw  it  away, 
take  another,  bite  off  the  end,  and  go  through  the  same 
process  once  more.  What  satisfaction  he  got  out  of  an 
unlighted  cigar  I  was  never  able  to  learn. 

His  was  a  thin,  keen,  business  face,  with  no  hair  on 
it  save  a  tuft  at  the  chin,  like  the  beard  of  a  goat.  As 
I  approached  him  I  saw  that  he  was  looking  sideways 
at  me  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes,  but  he  neither 
raised  his  head  nor  turned  it  around.  I  was  somewhat 
at  a  loss  how  to  greet  him,  but  for  want  of  a  better 
opening  I  began : 

"  I  am  told  you  are  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Well ! "  he  drawled  slowly,  with  his  cigar  between 
his  teeth,  released  for  a  moment  from  the  circular 
movement  of  his  lips,  "  you  may  thank  your  stars  you 

II 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

are  told  something  you  can  believe  in  this  God-for- 
saken land." 

I  smiled  at  this  unexpected  reply  and  ventured: 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  East  is  not  renowned  for 
its  truthfulness.  I  know  it  pretty  well." 

"  You  do,  eh  ?    Do  you  understand  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  either  an  American  or  a  European 
ever  understands  an  Asiatic  people." 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  do,"  rejoined  Mr.  Hemster;  "  they  're 
liars  and  that 's  all  there  is  to  them.  Liars  and  lazy  ; 
that  sums  them  up." 

As  I  was  looking  for  the  favor  of  work,  it  was  not 
my  place  to  contradict  him,  and  the  confident  tone  in 
which  he  spoke  showed  that  contradiction  would  have 
availed  little.  He  was  evidently  one  of  the  men  who 
knew  it  all,  and  success  had  confirmed  him  in  his  be- 
lief. I  had  met  people  of  his  calibre  before, — to  my 
grief. 

"  Well,  young  man,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  "  he 
asked,  coming  directly  to  the  point. 

"  I  am  looking  for  a  job,"  I  said. 

"What's  your  line?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  ?  " 

"What  can  you  do?" 

"  I  am  capable  of  taking  charge  of  this  ship  as  cap- 
tain, or  of  working  as  a  man  before  the  mast." 

"  You  spread  yourself  out  too  thin,  my  son.  A  man 
who  can  do  everything  can  do  nothing.  We  specialize 
in  our  country.  I  hire  men  who  can  do  only  one  thing, 
and  do  that  thing  better  than  anybody  else." 

"  Sir,  I  do  not  agree  with  you,"  I  could  not  help 

12 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

saying.  "  The  most  capable  people  in  the  world  are 
the  Americans.  The  best  log  house  I  ever  saw  was 
built  by  a  man  who  owned  a  brown-stone  front  on 
Fifth  Avenue.  He  simply  pushed  aside  the  guides 
whose  specialty  it  was  to  do  such  things,  took  the  axe 
in  his  own  hands,  and  showed  them  how  it  should  be 
accomplished." 

Mr.  Hemster  shoved  his  hat  to  the  back  of  his  head, 
and  for  the  first  time  during  our  interview  looked  me 
squarely  in  the  face. 

"  Where  was  that  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Up  in  Canada." 

"  Oh,  well,  the  Fifth  Avenue  man  had  probably 
come  from  the  backwoods  and  so  knew  how  to  handle 
an  axe." 

"  It  's  more  than  likely,"  I  admitted. 

"  What  were  you  doing  in  Canada  ?  " 

"  Fishing  and  shooting." 

"  You  were  n't  one  of  the  guides  he  pushed  aside  ?  " 

I  laughed. 

"  No,  I  was  one  of  the  two  who  paid  for  the  guides." 

"  Well,  to  come  back  to  first  principles,"  continued 
Mr.  Hemster,  "  I  Ve  got  a  captain  who  gives  me  per- 
fect satisfaction,  and  he  hires  the  crew.  What  else 
can  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  am  qualified  to  take  a  place  as  engineer  if  your 
present  man  is  n't  equally  efficient  with  the  captain ; 
and  I  can  guarantee  to  give  satisfaction  as  a  stoker, 
although  I  don't  yearn  for  the  job." 

"  My  present  engineer  I  got  in  Glasgow,"  said  Mr. 
Hemster ;  "  and  as  for  stokers  we  have  a  mechanical 

13 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

stoker  which  answers  the  purpose  reasonably  well,  al- 
though I  have  several  improvements  I  am  going  to 
patent  as  soon  as  I  get  home.  I  believe  the  Scotchman 
I  have  as  engineer  is  the  best  in  the  business.  I 
would  n't  interfere  with  him  for  the  world." 

My  heart  sank,  and  I  began  to  fear  that  Yansan  and 
the  sampan-boy  would  have  to  wait  longer  for  their 
money.  It  seemed  that  it  was  n't  my  ship  that  had 
come  in,  after  all. 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Hemster,"  I  said,  "  I  must  con- 
gratulate you  on  being  so  well  suited.  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  receiving  me  so  patiently  without  a 
letter  of  introduction  on  my  part,  and  so  I  bid  you 
good-day." 

I  turned  for  the  ladder,  but  Mr.  Hemster  said,  with 
more  of  animation  in  his  tone  than  he  had  hitherto 
exhibited : 

"  Wait  a  moment,  sonny ;  don't  be  so  hasty.  You  've 
asked  me  a  good  many  questions  about  the  yacht  and 
the  crew,  so  I  should  like  to  put  some  to  you,  and  who 
knows  but  we  may  make  a  deal  yet.  There  's  the  gal- 
ley and  the  stewards,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  you  know. 
Draw  up  a  chair  and  sit  down." 

I  did  as  I  was  requested.  Mr.  Hemster  threw  his 
cigar  overboard  and  took  out  another.  Then  he  held 
out  the  case  toward  me,  saying: 

"  Do  you  smoke?" 

"  Thank  you,"  said  1,  selecting  a  cigar. 

"  Have  you  matches  ?  "  he  asked,  "  I  never  carry 
them  myself." 

"  No,  I  have  n't,"  I  admitted. 

14 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

He  pushed  a  button  near  him,  and  a  Japanese  stew- 
ard appeared. 

"  Bring  a  box  of  matches  and  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne," he  said. 

The  steward  set  a  light  wicker  table  at  my  elbow, 
disappeared  for  a  few  minutes,  and  shortly  returned 
with  a  bottle  of  champagne  and  a  box  of  matches.  Did 
my  eyes  deceive  me,  or  was  this  the  most  noted  brand 
in  the  world,  and  of  the  vintage  of  '78  ?  It  seemed  too 
good  to  be  true. 

"  Would  you  like  a  sandwich  or  two  with  that  wine, 
or  is  it  too  soon  after  lunch  ?  " 

"  I  could  do  with  a  few  sandwiches,"  I  confessed, 
thinking  of  Yansan's  frugal  fare;  and  shortly  after 
there  were  placed  before  me,  on  a  dainty,  white,  linen- 
and-lace-covered  plate,  some  of  the  most  delicious 
chicken  sandwiches  that  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to 
taste. 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Hemster,  when  the  steward 
had  disappeared,  "  you  're  on  your  uppers,  I  take 
it." 

"  I  don't  think  I  understand." 

"  Why,  you  're  down  at  bed-rock.  Have  n't  you  been 
in  America  ?  Don't  you  know  the  language  ?  " 

"  'Yes  '  is  the  answer  to  all  your  questions." 

"  What 's  the  reason  ?    Drink  ?    Gambling  ?  " 

Lord,  how  good  that  champagne  tasted !  I  laughed 
from  the  pure,  dry  exhilaration  of  it. 

"  I  wish  I  could  say  it  was  drink  that  brought  me 
to  this  pass,"  I  answered ;  "  for  this  champagne  shows 
it  would  be  a  tempting  road  to  ruin.  I  am  not  a 

15 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

gambler,  either.  How  I  came  to  this  pass  would  not 
interest  you." 

"  Well,  I  take  it  that 's  just  an  Englishman's  way  of 
saying  it 's  none  of  my  business ;  but  such  is  not  the 
fact.  You  want  a  job,  and  you  have  come  to  me  for 
it.  Very  well;  I  must  know  something  about  you. 
Whether  I  can  give  you  a  job  or  not  will  depend. 
You  have  said  you  could  captain  the  ship  or  run 
her  engines.  What  makes  you  so  confident  of  your 
skill?" 

"  The  fact  is  I  possessed  a  yacht  of  my  own  not  so 
very  long  ago,  and  I  captained  her  and  I  ran  her  en- 
gines on  different  occasions." 

"  That  might  be  a  recommendation,  or  it  might  not. 
If,  as  captain,  you  wrecked  your  vessel,  or  if,  as  en- 
gineer, you  blew  her  up,  these  actions  would  hardly  be 
a  certificate  of  competency." 

"  I  did  neither.  I  sold  the  yacht  in  New  York  for 
what  it  would  bring." 

"  How  much  money  did  you  have  when  you  bought 
your  yacht  ?  " 

"  I  had  what  you  would  call  half  a  million." 

"  Why  do  you  say  what  I  would  call  half  a  million  ? 
What  would  you  call  it  ?  " 

"  I  should  call  it  a  hundred  thousand." 

"  Ah,  I  see.  You're  talking  of  pounds,  and  I'm 
talking  of  dollars.  You  're  an  Englishman,  I  suspect. 
Are  you  an  educated  man  ?  " 

"  Moderately  so.  Eton  and  Oxford,"  said  I,  the 
champagne  beginning  to  have  its  usual  effect  on  a 
hungry  man.  However,  the  announcement  of  Eton 

16 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

and  Oxford  had  no  effect  upon  Mr.  Hemster,  so  it  did 
not  matter. 

"  Come,  young  fellow,"  he  said,  with  some  im- 
patience, "  tell  me  all  about  yourself,  and  don't  have 
to  be  drawn  out  like  a  witness  on  the  stand." 

"  Very  well,"  said  I,  "  here  is  my  story.  After  I  left 
Oxford  I  had  some  little  influence,  as  you  might 
call  it." 

"  No,  a  '  pull,'  I  would  call  it.  All  right,  where  did 
it  land  you  ?  " 

"  It  landed  me  as  secretary  to  a  Minister  of  the 
Crown." 

"  You  don't  mean  a  preacher  ?  " 

"  No,  I  mean  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and 
he  put  me  into  the  diplomatic  service  when  he  found 
the  Government  was  going  to  be  defeated.  I  was  sec- 
retary of  legation  at  Pekin  and  also  here  in  Japan." 

I  filled  myself  another  glass  of  champagne,  and, 
holding  it  up  to  see  the  sparkles,  continued  jauntily : 

"  If  I  may  go  so  far  as  to  boast,  I  may  say  I  was  en- 
trusted with  several  delicate  missions,  and  I  carried 
them  through  with  reasonable  success.  I  can  both 
read  and  write  the  Japanese  language,  and  I  know  a 
smattering  of  Chinese  and  a  few  dialects  of  the  East, 
which  have  stood  me  in  good  stead  more  than  once. 
To  tell  the  truth,  I  was  in  a  fair  way  for  promotion  and 
honor  when  unfortunately  a  relative  died  and  left  me 
the  hundred  thousand  pounds  that  I  spoke  of." 

"Why  unfortunately?  If  you  had  had  any  brains 
you  could  have  made  that  into  millions." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  I  could.     I  thought  I  was  going  to 

17 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

do  it.  I  bought  myself  a  yacht  at  Southampton  and 
sailed  for  New  York.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  it 
was  a  gold  mine  and  a  matter  of  ten  weeks  which  were 
taken  up  with  shooting  and  fishing  in  Canada.  Then 
I  had  the  gold  mine  and  the  experience,  while  the 
other  fellow  had  the  cash.  He  was  good  enough  to 
pay  me  a  trifle  for  my  steam  yacht,  which,  as  the 
advertisements  say,  was  '  of  no  further  use  to  the 
owner.' " 

As  I  sipped  my  champagne,  the  incidents  I  was  re- 
lating seemed  to  recede  farther  and  farther  back  and 
become  of  little  consequence.  In  fact  I  felt  like  laugh- 
ing over  them,  and  although  in  sober  moments  I  should 
have  called  the  action  of  the  man  who  got  my  money  a 
swindle,  under  the  influence  of  dry  '78  his  scheme  be- 
came merely  a  very  clever  exercise  of  wit.  Mr.  Hem- 
ster  was  looking  steadily  at  me,  and  for  once  his  cigar 
was  almost  motionless. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  murmured,  more  to  himself  than 
to  me,  "  I  have  always  said  the  geographical  position 
of  New  York  gives  it  a  tremendous  advantage  over 
Chicago.  They  never  let  the  fools  come  West.  They 
have  always  the  first  whack  at  the  moneyed  English- 
man, and  will  have  until  we  get  a  ship  canal  that  will 
let  the  liners  through  to  Chicago  direct.  Fleeced  in  ten 
weeks !  Well,  well !  Go  on,  my  son.  What  did  you 
do  after  you  'd  sold  your  yacht  ?  " 

"  I  took  what  money  I  had  and  made  for  the  West." 

"Came  to  Chicago?" 

"  Yes,  I  did." 

"  Just  our  luck.  After  you  had  been  well  buncoed 
18 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

you  came  to  Chicago.  I  swear  I  'm  tempted  to  settle 
in  New  York  when  I  get  back." 

"  By  the  West  I  do  not  mean  Chicago,  Mr.  Hemster. 
I  went  right  through  to  San  Francisco  and  took  a 
steamer  for  Japan.  I  thought  my  knowledge  of  the 
East  and  of  the  languages  might  be  of  advantage.  I 
was  ashamed  to  return  to  England  when  I  found  I 
could  make  no  headway  here.  I  tried  to  bring  influ- 
ence to  bear  to  get  reinstated  in  the  diplomatic  service, 
but  my  brand  of  statesman  was  out  of  office  and  noth- 
ing could  be  done.  I  lived  too  expensively  here  at 
first,  hoping  to  make  an  impression  and  gain  a  foothold 
that  was  worth  having,  and  when  I  began  to  economize 
it  was  too  late.  I  took  to  living  in  the  native  quarter, 
and  descended  from  trying  to  get  a  clerkship  into  the 
position  of  a  man  who  is  willing  to  take  anything. 
From  my  veranda  on  the  hill  up  yonder  I  saw  this  boat 
come  in,  like  a  white-winged  sea-gull,  and  so  I  came 
down,  got  into  a  sampan,  and  here  I  am,  enjoying  the 
best  meal  I  Ve  had  for  a  long  time.  *  Here  endeth  the 
first  lesson,'  "  I  concluded  irreverently,  pouring  out 
another  glass  of  champagne. 

Mr.  Hemster  did  not  reply  for  some  moments.  He 
was  evidently  ruminating,  and  the  end  of  his  cigar  went 
round  and  round  quicker  and  quicker. 

"  What  might  your  name  be  ?  "  he  said  at  last. 

"  Rupert  Tremorne." 

"Got  a  handle  to  it?" 

"  A  title?    Oh,  no!     Plain  Mr.  Tremorne." 

"  I  should  say,  off-hand,  that  a  title  runs  in  your 
family  somewhere." 

19 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

"  Well ;  I  admit  that  Lord  Tremorne  is  my  cowsin, 
and  we  have  a  few  others  scattered  about.  However, 
there  's  little  danger  of  it  ever  falling  upon  me.  To 
tell  the  truth,  the  family  for  the  last  few  years  has  no 
idea  where  I  am,  and  now  that  I  have  lost  my  money  I 
don't  suppose  they  care  very  much.  At  least  I  have 
seen  no  advertisements  in  the  papers,  asking  for  a  man 
of  my  description." 

"  If  you  were  secretary  to  the  Minister  of  whatever 
you  call  it,  I  don't  know  but  what  you  'd  do  for  me.  I 
am  short  of  a  private  secretary  just  at  the  present  mo- 
ment, and  I  think  you  'd  do." 

Whether  it  was  the  champagne,  or  the  sandwiches, 
or  the  prospect  of  getting  something  to  do,  and  conse- 
quently being  able  to  pay  my  way,  or  all  three  com- 
bined, I  felt  like  throwing  my  hat  into  the  air  and  utter- 
ing a  war-whoop;  but  something  of  native  stolidity 
counterbalanced  the  effect  of  the  stimulant,  and  I  was 
astonished  to  hear  myself  reply  very  quietly: 

"  It  would  be  folly  for  a  man  who  had  just  applied 
for  the  position  of  stoker  to  pretend  he  is  not  elated  at 
being  offered  a  secretaryship.  It  is  needless  to  say, 
Mr.  Hemster,  that  I  accept  with  alacrity  and  grati- 
tude." 

"  Then  that 's  settled,"  said  the  millionaire  curtly. 
"  As  to  the  matter  of  salary,  I  think  you  would  be  wise 
to  leave  that  to  me.     I  have  paid  out  a  good  deal  of 
money  recently  and  got  mighty  little  for  it.     If  you  can 
turn  the  tide  so  that  there  is  value  received,  you  will 
find  me  liberal  in  the  matter  of  wages." 
/'  I  am  quite  content  to  leave  it  so,"  I  rejoined,  "  but 
20 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

I  think  I  ought  in  honesty  to  tell  you,  if  you  are  ex- 
pecting a  shrewd  business  man  as  your  secretary  who 
will  turn  the  tide  of  fortune  in  any  way,  you  are  likely 
to  be  disappointed  in  me.  I  am  afraid  I  am  a  very  poor 
business  man." 

"  I  am  aware  of  that  already,"  replied  Hemster.  "  I 
can  supply  all  the  business  qualifications  that  are  needed 
in  this  new  combination.  What  I  want  of  you  is  some- 
thing entirely  different.  You  said  you  could  speak 
more  languages  than  your  own  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  very  familiar  with  French  and  German, 
and  have  also  a  smattering  of  Spanish  and  Italian.  I 
can  read  and  write  Japanese,  speaking  that  language 
and  Chinese  with  reasonable  fluency,  and  can  even 
jabber  a  little  in  Corean." 

"  Then  you  're  -my  man,"  said  my  host  firmly.  "  I 
suppose  now  you  would  not  object  to  a  little  something 
on  account  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  very  much  obliged  indeed  if  you  have 
confidence  enough  in  me  to  make  an  advance.  There 
are  some  things  I  should  like  to  buy  before  I  come 
aboard,  and,  not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  to  it,  there  are 
some  debts  I  should  like  to  settle." 

"  That 's  all  right,"  commented  Hemster  shortly, 
thrusting  his  hand  deep  in  his  trousers  pocket,  and 
bringing  out  a  handful  of  money  which  he  threw  on 
the  wicker  table.  "  There  ought  to  be  something  like 
two  hundred  dollars  there.  Just  count  it  and  see,  and 
write  me  a  receipt  for  it." 

I  counted  it,  and,  as  I  did  so,  thought  he  watched  me 
rather  keenly  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye.  There  was 

21 


more  than  two  hundred  dollars  in  the  heap,  and  I  told 
him  the  amount.  The  Japanese  brought  up  a  sheet 
of  paper  headed  with  a  gorgeous  gilt  and  scarlet  mono- 
gram and  a  picture  of  the  yacht,  and  I  wrote  and 
signed  the  receipt. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  the  stores  in  town  ?  " 
he  asked,  nodding  his  head  toward  Nagasaki. 

"Oh,  yes!" 

"  They  tell  me  Nagasaki  is  a  great  place  for  buying 
crockery.  I  wish  you  would  order  sent  to  the  yacht 
three  complete  dinner  sets,  three  tea  sets,  and  three 
luncheon  sets.  There  is  always  a  good  deal  of  break- 
age on  a  sea-going  yacht." 

"  Quite  so,"  I  replied.  "  Is  there  any  particular  pat- 
tern you  wish,  or  any  limit  to  the  price  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  need  expensive  sets ;  anything  will 
do.  I  'm  not  particular ;  in  fact,  I  don't  care  even  to 
see  them ;  I  leave  that  entirely  to  you,  but  tell  the  man 
to  pack  them  securely,  each  in  a  separate  box.  He  is 
to  bring  them  aboard  at  half-past  five  this  afternoon 
precisely,  and  ask  for  me.  Now,  when  can  you  join 
us?" 

"  To-morrow  morning,  if  that  will  be  soon  enough." 

"  Very  well ;  to-morrow  morning  at  ten." 

I  saw  that  he  wished  the  interview  terminated,  as, 
for  the  last  few  minutes,  he  had  exhibited  signs  of  un- 
easiness. I  therefore  rose  and  said, —  rather  stammer- 
ingly,  I  am  afraid : 

"  Mr.  Hemster,  I  don't  know  how  to  thank  you  for 
your  kindness  in " 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  right ;  that 's  all  right,"  he  replied 

22 


hastily,  waving  his  hand ;  but  before  anything  further 
could  be  spoken  there  came  up  on  deck  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  stately  creature  I  had  ever  beheld,  superbly 
attired.  She  cast  not  even  a  glance  at  me,  but  hurried 
toward  Mr.  Hemster,  crying  impetuously : 

"  Oh,  Poppa !  I  want  to  go  into  the  town  and  shop !  " 

"  Quite  right,  my  dear,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  I  won- 
der you  've  been  so  long  about  it.  We  've  been  in  har- 
bor two  or  three  hours.  This  is  Mr.  Rupert  Tre- 
morne,  my  new  private  secretary.  Mr.  Tremorne,  my 
daughter." 

I  made  my  bow,  but  it  seemed  to  pass  unnoticed. 

"  How  do  you  do,"  said  the  girl  hastily ;  then,  to  her 
father,  "  Poppa,  I  want  some  money !  " 

"  Certainly,  certainly,  certainly,"  repeated  the  old 
gentleman,  plunging  his  hand  into  his  other  pocket  and 
pulling  out  another  handful  of  the  "  necessary."  As  I 
learned  afterward,  each  of  his  pockets  seemed  to  be  a 
sort  of  safe  depository,  which  would  turn  forth  any 
amount  of  capital  when  searched.  He  handed  the  ac- 
cumulation to  her,  and  she  stuffed  it  hastily  into  a 
small  satchel  that  hung  at  her  side. 

"  You  are  going  to  take  Miss  Stretton  with  you  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Why,  of  course." 

"  Mr.  Tremorne  is  cousin  to  Lord  Tremorne,  of  Eng- 
land," said  the  old  gentleman  very  slowly  and  solemnly. 

I  had  been  standing  there  rather  stupidly,  instead 
of  taking  my  departure,  as  I  should  have  done,  for  I 
may  as  well  confess  that  I  was  astounded  at  the  sump- 
tuous beauty  of  the  girl  before  me,  who  had  hitherto 

23 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

cast  not  even  a  look  in  my  direction.  Now  she  raised 
her  lovely,  indescribable  eyes  to  mine,  and  I  felt  a  thrill 
extend  to  my  finger-tips.  Many  handsome  women 
have  I  seen  in  my  day,  but  none  to  compare  with  this 
superb  daughter  of  the  West. 

"  Really !  "  she  exclaimed  with  a  most  charming  in- 
tonation of  surprise.  Then  she  extended  a  white  and 
slim  hand  to  me,  and  continued,  "  I  am  very  glad  to 
meet  you,  Mr.  Tremorne.  Do  you  live  in  Nagasaki  ?  " 

"  I  have  done  so  for  the  past  year." 

"  Then  you  know  the  town  well  ?  " 

"  I  know  it  very  well  indeed." 

At  this  juncture  another  young  woman  came  on 
deck,  and  Miss  Hemster  turned  quickly  toward  her. 

"  Oh,  Hilda ! "  she  cried,  "  I  shall  not  need  you  to- 
day. Thanks  ever  so  much." 

"  Not  need  her  ?  "  exclaimed  her  father.  "  Why, 
you  can't  go  into  Nagasaki  alone,  my  dear." 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  doing  so,"  she  replied  ami- 
ably, "  if  Mr.  Tremorne  will  be  good  enough  to  es- 
cort me." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  I  gasped,  expecting  an  ex- 
postulation from  her  father;  but  the  old  gentleman 
merely  said : 

"  All  right,  my  dear;  just  as  you  please." 

"  Rupert,  my  boy ! "  I  said  to  my  amazed  self ; 
"  your  ship  has  come  in  with  a  vengeance." 


CHAPTER   III 

A5TAIRWAY  was  slung  on  the  other  side  of  the 
yacht  from  that  on  which  I  had  ascended, 
and  at  its  foot  lay  a  large  and  comfortable 
boat  belonging  to  the  yacht,  manned  by  four  stout  sea- 
men. Down  this  stairway  and  into  the  boat  I  escorted 
Miss  Hemster.  She  seated  herself  in  the  stern  and 
took  the  tiller-ropes  in  her  hands,  now  daintily  gloved. 
I  sat  down  opposite  to  her  and  was  about  to  give  a 
command  to  the  men  to  give  way  when  she  forestalled 
me,  and  the  oars  struck  the  water  simultaneously.  As 
soon  as  we  had  rounded  the  bow  of  the  yacht  there 
was  a  sudden  outcry  from  a  half-naked  Japanese  boy 
who  was  sculling  about  in  a  sampan. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  him  ?  "  asked  Miss  Hem- 
ster with  a  little  laugh.  "  Does  he  think  we  're  going 
to  desert  this  boat  and  take  that  floating  coffin  of  his  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  is  my  own  man,"  I  said ;  "  and  he  fears 
that  his  fare  is  leaving  him  without  settling  up.  Have 
I  your  permission  to  stop  these  men  till  he  comes  along- 
side? He  has  been  waiting  patiently  for  me  while  I 
talked  with  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Why,  certainly,"  said  the  girl,  and  in  obedience  to 
her  order  the  crew  held  water,  and  as  the  boy  came 
alongside  I  handed  him  more  than  double  what  I  owed 

25 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

him,  and  he  nearly  upset  his  craft  by  bowing  in  amazed 
acknowledgment. 

"  You  're  an  Englishman,  I  suppose,"  said  Miss 
Hemster. 

"  In  a  sort  of  way  I  am,  but  really  a  citizen  of  the 
world.  For  many  years  past  I  have  been  less  in  Eng- 
land than  in  other  countries." 

"  For  many  years  ?  Why,  you  talk  as  if  you  were  an 
old  man,  and  you  don't  look  a  day  more  than  thirty." 

"  My  looks  do  not  libel  me,  Miss  Hemster,"  I  replied 
with  a  laugh,  "  for  I  am  not  yet  thirty." 

"  I  am  twenty-one,"  she  said  carelessly,  "  but  every 
one  says  I  don't  look  more  than  seventeen." 

"  I  thought  you  were  younger  than  seventeen,"  said 
I,  "  when  I  first  saw  you  a  moment  ago." 

"  Did  you  really  ?  I  think  it  is  very  flattering  of  you 
to  say  so,  and  I  hope  you  mean  it." 

"  I  do,  indeed,  Miss  Hemster." 

"  Do  you  think  I  look  younger  than  Hilda  ?  "  she 
asked  archly,  "  most  people  do." 

"  Hilda !  "  said  I.     "  What  Hilda  ?  " 

"  Why,  Hilda  Stretton,  my  companion." 

"  I  have  never  seen  her." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  did ;  she  was  standing  at  the  com- 
panion-way and  was  coming  with  me  when  I  preferred 
to  come  with  you." 

"  I  did  not  see  her,"  I  said,  shaking  my  head ;  "  I 
saw  no  one  but  you." 

The  young  lady  laughed  merrily, —  a  melodious  rip- 
ple of  sound.  I  have  heard  women's  laughter  com- 
pared to  the  tinkle  of  silver  bells,  but  to  that  musical 

26 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

tintinnabulation  was  now  added  something  so  deli- 
ciously  human  and  girlish  that  the  whole  effect  was 
nothing  short  of  enchanting.  Conversation  now  ceased, 
for  we  were  drawing  close  to  the  shore.  I  directed  the 
crew  where  to  land,  and  the  young  lady  sprang  up  the 
steps  without  assistance  from  me, — before,  indeed,  I 
could  proffer  any.  I  was  about  to  follow  when  one 
of  the  sailors  touched  me  on  the  shoulder. 

"  The  old  man,"  he  said  in  a  husky  whisper,  nod- 
ding his  head  toward  the  yacht,  "  told  me  to  tell  you 
that  when  you  buy  that  crockery  you  're  not  to  let  Miss 
Hemster  know  anything  about  it." 

"Aren't  you  coming?"  cried  Miss  Hemster  to  me 
from  the  top  of  the  wharf. 

I  ascended  the  steps  with  celerity  and  begged  her 
pardon  for  my  delay. 

"  I  am  not  sprightly  seventeen,  you  see,"  I  said. 

She  laughed,  and  I  put  her  in  a  'rickshaw  drawn  by 
a  stalwart  Japanese,  got  into  one  myself,  and  we  set 
off  for  the  main  shopping  street.  I  was  rather  at  a 
loss  to  know  exactly  what  the  sailor's  message  meant, 
but  I  took  it  to  be  that  for  some  reason  Mr.  Hemster 
did  not  wish  his  daughter  to  learn  that  he  was  indulg- 
ing so  freely  in  dinner  sets.  As  it  was  already  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  realized  that  there  would  be 
some  difficulty  in  getting  the  goods  aboard  by  five 
o'clock,  unless  the  young  lady  dismissed  me  when  we 
arrived  at  the  shops.  This,  however,  did  not  appear 
to  be  her  intention  in  the  least ;  when  our  human  steeds 
stopped,  she  gave  me  her  hand  lightly  as  she 
descended,  and  then  said,  with  her  captivating  smile : 
27 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  want  you  to  take  me  at  once  to  a  china  shop." 

"To  a  what?"  I  cried. 

"  To  a  shop  where  they  sell  dishes, — dinner  sets  and 
that  sort  of  thing.  You  know  what  I  mean, —  a  crock- 
ery store." 

I  did,  but  I  was  so  astonished  by  the  request  coming 
right  on  the  heels  of  the  message  from  her  father,  and 
taken  in  conjunction  with  his  previous  order,  that  I 
am  afraid  I  stood  looking  very  much  like  a  fool, 
whereupon  she  laughed  heartily,  and  I  joined  her.  I 
saw  she  was  quite  a  merry  young  lady,  with  a  keen 
sense  of  the  humour  of  things. 

"  Have  n't  they  any  crockery  stores  in  this  town  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"  Oh,  there  are  plenty  of  them,"  I  replied. 

"  Why,  you  look  as  if  you  had  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  before.  Take  me,  then,  to  whichever  is  the  best. 
I  want  to  buy  a  dinner  set  and  a  tea  set  the  very  first 
thing." 

I  bowed,  and,  somewhat  to  my  embarrassment,  she 
took  my  arm,  tripping  along  by  my  side  as  if  she  were 
a  little  girl  of  ten,  overjoyed  at  her  outing,  to  which 
feeling  she  gave  immediate  expression. 

"  Is  n't  this  jolly?  "  she  cried. 

"  It  is  the  most  undeniably  jolly  shopping  excursion 
I  ever  engaged  in,"  said  I,  fervently  and  truthfully. 

"  You  see,"  she  went  on,  "  the  delight  of  this  sort  of 
thing  is  that  we  are  in  an  utterly  foreign  country  and 
can  do  just  as  we  please.  That  is  why  I  did  not  wish 
Hilda  to  come  with  us.  She  is  rather  prim  and  has 
notions  of  propriety  which  are  all  right  at  home,  but 

28 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

•what  is  the  use  of  coming  to  foreign  countries  if  you 
cannot  enjoy  them  as  you  wish  to?  " 

"  I  think  that  is  a  very  sensible  idea,"  said  I. 

"  Why,  it  seems  as  if  you  and  I  were  members  of  a 
travelling  theatrical  company,  and  were  taking  part  in 
'  The  Mikado,'  does  n't  it  ?  What  funny  little  people 
they  are  all  around  us !  Nagasaki  does  n't  seem  real. 
It  looks  as  if  it  were  set  on  a  stage, — don't  you  think 
so?" 

"  Well,  you  know,  I  am  rather  accustomed  to  it. 
I  have  lived  here  for  more  than  a  year,  as  I  told 
you." 

"  Oh,  so  you  said.  I  have  not  got  used  to  it  yet. 
Have  you  ever  seen  '  The  Mikado?  ' ' 

"  Do  you  mean  the  Emperor  or  the  play  ?  " 

"  At  the  moment  I  was  thinking  of  the  play." 

"  Yes,  I  have  seen  it,  and  the  real  Mikado,  too,  and 
spoken  with  him." 

"  Have  you,  indeed?    How  lucky  you  are !  " 

"  You  speak  truly,  Miss  Hemster,  and  I  never  knew 
how  lucky  I  was  until  to-day." 

She  bent  her  head  and  laughed  quietly  to  herself.  I 
thought  we  were  more  like  a  couple  of  school  children 
than  members  of  a  theatrical  troupe,  but  as  I  never  was 
an  actor  I  cannot  say  how  the  latter  behave  when  they 
are  on  the  streets  of  a  strange  town. 

"  Oh,  I  have  met  your  kind  of  man  before,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne.  You  don't  mind  what  you  say  when  you  are 
talking  to  a  lady  as  long  as  it  is  something  flatter- 
ing." 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Hemster,  that  quite  the  con- 
29 


trary  is  the  case.  I  never  flatter;  and  if  I  have  been 
using  a  congratulatory  tone  it  has  been  directed  entirely 
to  myself  and  to  my  own  good  fortune." 

"  There  you  go  again.  How  did  you  come  to  meet 
the  Mikado?" 

"  I  used  to  be  in  the  diplomatic  service  in  Japan,  and 
my  duties  on  several  occasions  brought  me  the  honor 
of  an  audience  with  His  Majesty." 

"  How  charmingly  you  say  that,  and  I  can  see  that 
you  believe  it  from  your  heart ;  and  although  we  are 
democratic,  I  believe  it,  too.  I  always  love  diplomatic 
society,  and  enjoyed  a  good  deal  of  it  in  Washington, 
and  my  imagination  always  pictured  behind  them  the 
majesty  of  royalty,  so  I  have  come  abroad  to  see  the 
real  thing.  I  was  presented  at  Court  in  London,  Mr. 
Tremorne.  Now,  please  don't  say  that  you  congratu- 
late the  Court ! " 

"  There  is  no  need  of  my  saying  it,  as  it  has  already 
been  said ;  or  perhaps  I  should  say  '  it  goes  without 
saying.' " 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Mr.  Tremorne ;  I  think 
you  are  the  most  polite  man  I  ever  met.  I  want  you 
to  do  me  a  very  great  favor  and  introduce  me  to  the 
higher  grades  of  diplomatic  society  in  Nagasaki  during 
our  stay  here." 

"  I  regret,  Miss  Hemster,  that  that  is  impossible, 
because  I  have  been  out  of  the  service  for  some  years 
now.  Besides,  the  society  here  is  consular  rather  than 
diplomatic.  The  Legation  is  at  the  capital,  you  know. 
Nagasaki  is  merely  a  commercial  city." 

"  Oh,  is  it  ?    I  thought  perhaps  you  had  been  seeing 

30 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

my  father  to-day  because  of  some  consular  business, 
or  that  sort  of  thing,  pertaining  to  the  yacht." 

As  the  girl  said  this  I  realized,  with  a  suddenness 
that  was  disconcerting,  the  fact  that  I  was  practically 
acting  under  false  pretences.  I  was  her  father's 
humble  employee,  and  she  did  not  know  it.  I  remem- 
bered with  a  pang  when  her  father  first  mentioned  my 
name  she  paid  not  the  slightest  attention  to  it ;  but 
when  he  said  I  was  the  cousin  of  Lord  Tremorne  the 
young  lady  had  favored  me  with  a  glance  I  was  not 
soon  to  forget.  Therefore,  seeing  that  Mr.  Hemster 
had  neglected  to  make  my  position  clear,  it  now  be- 
came my  duty  to  give  some  necessary  explanation,  so 
that  his  daughter  might  not  continue  an  acquaintance 
that  was  rapidly  growing  almost  intimate  under  her 
misapprehension  as  to  who  I  was.  I  saw  with  a  pang 
that  a  humiliation  was  in  store  for  me  such  as  always 
lies  in  wait  for  a  man  who  momentarily  steps  out  of  his 
place  and  receives  consideration  which  is  not  his  so- 
cial due. 

I  had  once  before  suffered  the  experience  which  was 
now  ahead  of  me,  and  it  was  an  episode  I  did  not  care 
to  repeat,  although  I  failed  to  see  how  it  could  be  hon- 
estly avoided.  On  my  return  to  Japan  I  sought  out  the 
man  in  the  diplomatic  service  who  had  been  my  great- 
est friend  and  for  whom  I  had  in  former  days  accom- 
plished some  slight  services,  because  my  status  in  the 
ranks  was  superior  to  his  own.  Now  that  there  was  an 
opportunity  for  a  return  of  these  services,  I  called 
upon  him,  and  was  received  with  a  cordiality  that  went 
to  my  discouraged  heart;  but  the  moment  he  learned 

31 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  was  in  need,  and  that  I  could  not  regain  the  place  I 
had  formerly  held,  he  congealed  in  the  most  tactful 
manner  possible.  It  was  an  interesting  study  in  human 
deportment.  His  manner  and  words  were  simply  un- 
impeachable, but  there  gathered  around  him  a  mantle 
of  impenetrable  frigidity  the  collection  of  which  was  a 
triumph  in  tactful  intercourse.  As  he  grew  colder  and 
colder,  I  grew  hotter  and  hotter.  I  managed  to  with- 
draw without  showing,  I  hope,  the  deep  humiliation  I 
felt.  Since  that  time  I  had  never  sought  a  former  ac- 
quaintance, or  indeed  any  countryman  of  my  own,  pre- 
ferring to  be  indebted  to  my  old  friend  Yansan  on  the 
terrace  above  or  the  sampan-boy  on  the  waters  below. 
The  man  I  speak  of  has  risen  high  and  is  rising  higher 
in  my  old  profession,  and  every  now  and  then  his  last 
words  ring  in  my  ears  and  warm  them, — words  of 
counterfeit  cordiality  as  he  realized  they  were  the  last 
that  he  should  probably  ever  speak  to  me : 

"  Well,  my  dear  fellow,  I  'm  ever  so  glad  you  called. 
If  I  can  do  anything  for  you,  you  must  be  sure  and 
let  me  know." 

As  I  had  already  let  him  know,  my  reply  that  I 
should  certainly  do  so  must  have  sounded  as  hollow  as 
his  own  smooth  phrase. 

Unpleasant  as  that  episode  was,  the  situation  was 
now  ten  times  worse,  as  it  involved  a  woman, — and  a 
lovely  woman  at  that, — who  had  treated  me  with  a 
kindness  she  would  feel  misplaced  when  she  under- 
stood the  truth.  However,  there  was  no  help  for  it, 
so,  clearing  my  throat,  I  began : 

"  Miss  Hemster,  when  I  took  the  liberty  of  calling 

32 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

001  your  father  this  morning-,  I  was  a  man  penniless 
and  out  of  work.  I  went  to  the  yacht  in  the  hope  that 
I  might  find  something  to  do.  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  be  offered  the  position  of  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Hemster,  which  position  I  have  accepted." 

The  young  lady,  as  I  expected,  instantly  withdrew 
her  hand  from  my  arm,  and  stood  there  facing  me,  I 
also  coming  to  a  halt;  and  thus  we  confronted  each 
other  in  the  crowded  street  of  Nagasaki.  Undeniable 
amazement  overspread  her  beautiful  countenance. 

"  Why !  "  she  gasped,  "  you  are,  then,  Poppa's  hired 
man?" 

I  winced  a  trifle,  but  bowed  low  to  her. 

"  Madam,"  I  replied,  "  you  have  stated  the  fact  with 
great  truth  and  terseness." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  she  said,  "  that  you  are  to 
be  with  us  after  this  on  the  yacht?  " 

"  I  suspect  such  to  be  your  father's  intention." 
Then,  to  my  amazement,  she  impulsively  thrust  forth 
both  her  hands  and  clasped  mine. 

"  Why,  how  perfectly  lovely !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I 
have  n't  had  a  white  man  to  talk  with  except  Poppa  for 
ages  and  ages.  But  you  must  remember  that  every- 
thing I  want  you  to  do,  you  are  to  do.  You  are  to  be 
my  hired  man ;  Poppa  won't  mind." 

"  You  will  find  me  a  most  devoted  retainer,  Miss 
Hemster." 

"  I  do  love  that  word  '  retainer,' "  she  cried  enthu- 
siastically. "  It  is  like  the  magic  talisman  of  the 
'  Arabian  Nights,'  and  conjures  up  at  once  visions  of 
a  historic  tower,  mullioned  windows,  and  all  that  sort 

33 


'A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

of  thing1.  When  you  were  made  a  bankrupt,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne,  was  there  one  faithful  old  retainer  who  refused 
to  desert  you  as  the  others  had  done  ?  " 

"  Ah,  my  dear  young  lady,  you  are  thinking  of  the 
romantic  drama  now,  as  you  were  alluding  to  comic 
opera  a  little  while  ago.  I  believe,  in  the  romantic 
drama,  the  retainer,  like  the  man  with  the  mortgage, 
never  lets  go.  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  had  no  such  per- 
son in  my  employ.  He  would  have  been  an  awful 
nuisance.  It  was  hard  enough  to  provide  for  myself, 
not  to  mention  a  retainer.  But  here  we  are  at  the 
crockery  shop." 

I  escorted  her  in,  and  she  was  soon  deeply  absorbed 
in  the  mysteries  of  this  pattern  or  that  of  the  various 
wares  exposed  to  her  choice.  Meanwhile  I  took  the 
opportunity  to  give  the  proprietor  instructions  in  his 
own  language  to  send  to  the  yacht  before  five  o'clock 
what  Mr.  Hemster  had  ordered,  and  I  warned  the  man 
he  was  not  to  mix  up  the  order  I  had  just  given  him 
with  that  of  the  young  lady.  The  Japanese  are  very 
quick  at  comprehension,  and  when  Miss  Hemster  and 
I  left  the  place  I  had  no  fear  of  any  complication  aris- 
ing through  my  instructions. 

We  wandered  from  shop  to  shop,  the  girl  enthusias- 
tic over  Nagasaki,  much  to  my  wonder,  for  there  are 
other  places  in  Japan  more  attractive  than  this  com- 
mercial town ;  but  the  glamor  of  the  East  cast  its  spell 
over  the  young  woman,  and,  although  I  was  rather 
tired  of  the  Orient,  I  must  admit  that  the  infection  of 
her  high  spirits  extended  to  my  own  feelings.  A  week 
ago  it  would  have  appeared  impossible  that  I  should 

34 


A   CHICAGO   PRINCESS 

be  enjoying  myself  so  thoroughly  as  I  was  now  doing. 
It  seemed  as  if  years  had  rolled  from  my  shoulders,  and 
I  was  a  boy  once  more,  living  in  a  world  where  con- 
ventionality was  unknown. 

The  girl  herself  was  in  a  whirlwind  of  glee,  and  it 
was  not  often  that  the  shopkeepers  of  Nagasaki  met  so 
easy  a  victim.  She  seemed  absolutely  reckless  in  the 
use  of  money,  paying  whatever  was  asked  for  anything 
that  took  her  fancy.  In  a  very  short  time  all  her  ready 
cash  was  gone,  but  that  made  not  the  slightest  differ- 
ence. She  ordered  here  and  there  with  the  extrava- 
gance of  a  queen,  on  what  she  called  the  "  C.  O.  D." 
plan,  which  I  afterward  learned  was  an  American 
phrase  meaning,  "  Collect  on  delivery."  Her  peregri- 
nations would  have  tired  out  half-a-dozen  men,  but  she 
showed  no  signs  of  fatigue.  I  felt  a  hesitation  about 
inviting  her  to  partake  of  refreshment,  but  I  need  not 
have  been  so  backward. 

"  Talking  of  comic  operas,"  she  exclaimed  as  we 
came  out  of  the  last  place,  "  Are  n't  there  any  tea- 
houses here,  such  as  we  see  on  the  stage  ?  " 

"  Yes,  plenty  of  them,"  I  replied. 

"  Well,"  she  exclaimed  with  a  ripple  of  laughter, 
"  take  me  to  the  wickedest  of  them.  What  is  the  use 
of  going  around  the  world  in  a  big  yacht  if  you  don't 
see  life?" 

I  wondered  what  her  father  would  say  if  he  knew, 
but  I  acted  the  faithful  retainer  to  the  last,  and  did  as 
I  was  bid.  She  expressed  the  utmost  delight  in  every- 
thing she  saw,  and  it  was  well  after  six  o'clock  when 
we  descended  from  our  'rickshaw  at  the  landing.  The 

35 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

boat  was  awaiting  us,  and  in  a  short  time  we  were 
alongside  the  yacht  once  more.  It  had  been  a  wild, 
tempestuous  outing,  and  I  somewhat  feared  the  stern 
disapproval  of  an  angry  parent.  He  was  leaning  over 
the  rail  revolving  an  unlit  cigar. 

"  Oh,  Poppa !  "  she  cried  up  at  him  with  enthusiasm, 
"  I  have  had  a  perfectly  splendid  time.  Mr.  Tremorne 
knows  Nagasaki  like  a  book.  He  has  taken  me  every- 
where," she  cried,  with  unnecessary  emphasis  on  the 
last  word. 

The  millionaire  was  entirely  unperturbed. 

"  That 's  all  right,"  he  said.  "  I  hope  you  have  n't 
tired  yourself  out." 

"  Oh,  no !  I  should  be  delighted  to  do  it  all  over 
again !  Has  anybody  sent  anything  aboard  for  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  "  there  's  been  a  procession 
of  people  here  since  you  left.  Dinner  's  ready,  Mr. 
Tremorne.  You  '11  come  aboard,  of  course,  and  take 
pot-luck  with  us  ?  " 

"  No,  thank  you,  Mr.  Hemster,"  I  said ;  "  I  must 
get  a  sampan  and  make  my  way  into  town  again." 

"  Just  as  you  say ;  but  you  don't  need  a  sampan, 
these  men  will  row  you  back  again.  See  you  to-mor- 
row at  ten,  then." 

Miss  Hemster,  now  on  deck,  leaned  over  the  rail 
and  daintily  blew  me  a  kiss  from  the  tips  of  her  slender 
fingers. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,  retainer,"  she  cried,  as  I  lifted 
my  hat  in  token  of  farewell. 


CHAPTER   IV 

I  WAS  speedily  rowed  ashore  in  a  state  of  great 
exaltation.  The  sudden  change  in  my  expecta- 
tions was  bewilderingly  Eastern  in  its  complete- 
ness. The  astonishingly  intimate  companionship  of 
this  buoyant,  effervescent  girl  had  affected  me  as  did 
the  bottle  of  champagne  earlier  in  the  day.  I  was  well 
aware  that  many  of  my  former  acquaintances  would 
have  raised  their  hands  in  horror  at  the  thought  of  a 
girl  wandering  about  an  Eastern  city  with  me,  entirely 
unchaperoned ;  but  I  had  been  so  long  down  on  my 
luck,  and  the  experiences  I  had  encountered  with  so- 
called  fashionable  friends  had  been  so  bitter,  that  the 
little  finicky  rules  of  society  seemed  of  small  account 
when  compared  with  the  realities  of  life.  The  girl  was 
perfectly  untrained  and  impulsive,  but  that  she  was  a 
true-hearted  woman  I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt. 
Was  I  in  love  with  her?  I  asked  myself,  and  at  that 
moment  my  brain  was  in  too  great  a  whirl  to  be  able 
to  answer  the  question  satisfactorily  to  myself.  My 
short  ten  weeks  in  America  had  given  me  no  such  ac- 
quaintance as  this,  although  the  two  months  and  a  half 
had  cost  me  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  week,  certainly 
the  most  expensive  living  that  any  man, is  likely  to  en- 
counter. I  had  met  a  few  American  women,  but  they 

37 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

all  seemed  as  cold  and  indifferent  as  our  own,  while 
here  was  a  veritable  child  of  nature,  as  untrammelled 
by  the  little  rules  of  society  as  could  well  be  imagined 
After  all,  were  these  rules  so  important  as  I  had  hith- 
erto supposed  them  to  be?  Certainly  not,  I  replied  to 
myself,  as  I  stepped  ashore. 

I  climbed  the  steep  hill  to  my  former  residence  with" 
my  head  in  the  air  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  Many 
a  weary  journey  I  had  taken  up  that  forlorn  path,  and 
it  had  often  been  the  up-hill  road  of  discouragement; 
but  to-night  Japan  was  indeed  the  land  of  enchantment 
which  so  many  romantic  writers  have  depicted  it.  I 
thought  of  the  girl  and  thought  of  her  father,  wonder- 
ing what  my  new  duties  were  to  be.  If  to-day  were  a 
sample  of  them  then  truly  was  Paradise  regained,  as 
the  poet  has  it.  I  had  told  Mr.  Hemster  that  I  needed 
time  to  purchase  necessary  things  for  the  voyage,  but 
this  would  take  me  to  very  few  shops.  I  had  in  store 
in  Nagasaki  a  large  trunk  filled  with  various  suits  of 
clothing,  a  trunk  of  that  comprehensive  kind  which 
one  buys  in  America.  This  was  really  in  pawn.  I  had 
delivered  it  to  a  shopkeeper  who  had  given  me  a  line  of 
credit  now  long  since  ended,  but  I  knew  I  should  find 
my  goods  and  chattels  safe  when  I  came  with  the 
money,  as  indeed  proved  to  be  the  case. 

It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  meet  Yansan  once  more, 
bowing  as  lowly  as  if  I  were  in  truth  a  millionaire.  I 
had  often  wondered  what  would  happen  if  I  had  been 
compelled  to  tell  the  grimacing  old  fellow  I  had  no 
money  to  pay  him.  Would  his  excessive  politeness 
have  stood  the  strain?  Perhaps  so,  but  luckily  his 

38 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

good  nature  was  not  to  be  put  to  the  test.  I  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  grasping  his  two  hands,  as  Miss 
Hemster  had  grasped  mine,  and  dancing  with  him 
around  the  bare  habitation  which  he  owned  and  which 
had  so  long  been  my  shelter.  However,  I  said  calmly 
to  him: 

"  Yansan,  my  ship  has  come  in,  as  I  told  you  this 
morning;  and  now,  if  you  will  bring  me  that  bill,  er- 
rors and  all,  I  will  pay  you  three  times  its  amount." 

Speechless,  the  old  man  dropped  on  his  knees  and 
beat  his  forehead  against  the  floor. 

"  Excellency  has  always  been  too  good  to  me !  "  he 
exclaimed. 

I  tried  to  induce  good  old  Yansan  to  share  supper 
with  me:  but  he  was  too  much  impressed  with  my 
greatness  and  could  do  nothing  but  bow  and  bow  and 
serve  me. 

After  the  repast  I  went  down  into  the  town  again, 
redeemed  my  trunk  and  its  contents,  bought  what  I 
needed,  and  ordered  everything  forwarded  to  the  yacht 
before  seven  o'clock  next  morning.  Then  I  went  to  a 
tea-house,  and  drank  tea,  and  thought  over  the  won- 
derful events  of  the  day,  after  which  I  climbed  the  hill 
again  for  a  night's  rest. 

I  was  very  sorry  to  bid  farewell  to  old  Yansan  next 
morning,  and  I  believe  he  was  very  sorry  to  part  with 
his  lodger.  Once  more  at  the  waterside  I  hailed  my 
sampan-boy,  who  was  now  all  eagerness  to  serve  me, 
and  he  took  me  out  to  the  yacht,  which  was  evidently 
ready  for  an  early  departure.  Her  whole  crew  was 
now  aboard,  and  most  of  them  had  had  a  day's  leave  in. 

39 


'A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Nagasaki  yesterday.  The  captain  was  pacing  up  and 
down  the  bridge,  and  smoke  was  lazily  trailing  from 
the  funnel. 

Arrived  on  deck  I  found  Mr.  Hemster  in  his  former 
position  in  the  cane  chair,  with  his  back  still  toward 
Nagasaki,  which  town  I  believe  he  never  glanced  at 
all  the  time  his  yacht  was  in  harbor.  I  learned  after- 
ward that  he  thought  it  compared  very  unfavorably 
with  Chicago.  His  unlighted  cigar  was  describing  cir- 
cles in  the  air,  and  all  in  all  I  might  have  imagined  he 
had  not  changed  from  the  position  I  left  him  in  the 
day  before  if  I  had  not  seen  him  leaning  over  the  rail 
when  1  escorted  his  daughter  back  to  the  yacht.  He 
gave  me  no  further  greeting  than  a  nod,  which  did  not 
err  on  the  side  of  effusiveness. 

I  inquired  of  the  Japanese  boy,  who  stood  ready  to 
receive  me  with  all  the  courtesy  of  his  race,  whether  my 
luggage  had  come  aboard,  and  he  informed  me  that  it 
had.  I  approached  Mr.  Hemster,  bidding  him  good- 
morning,  but  he  gave  a  side  nod  of  his  head  toward  the 
Japanese  boy  and  said,  "  He  '11  show  you  to  your 
cabin,"  so  I  followed  the  youth  down  the  companion- 
way  to  my  quarters.  The  yacht,  as  I  have  said,  was 
very  big.  The  main  saloon  extended  from  side  to  side, 
and  was  nearly  as  large  as  the  dining-room  of  an  ocean 
liner.  Two  servants  with  caps  and  aprons,  exactly  like 
English  housemaids,  were  dusting  and  putting  things 
to  rights  as  I  passed  through. 

My  cabin  proved  ample  in  size,  and  was  even  more 
comfortably  equipped  than  I  expected  to  find  it.  My 
luggage  was  there,  and  I  took  the  opportunity  of 

40 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

changing  my  present  costume  for  one  of  more  nautical 
cut,  and,  placing  a  yachting-cap  on  my  head,  I  went  on 
deck  again.  I  had  expected,  from  all  the  preparedness 
I  had  seen,  to  hear  the  anchor-chain  rattle  up  before  I 
was  equipped,  and  feared  for  the  moment  that  I  had 
delayed  the  sailing  of  the  yacht ;  but  on  looking  at  my 
watch  as  I  went  on  deck  I  found  it  was  not  yet  ten 
o'clock,  so  I  was  in  ample  time,  as  had  been  arranged. 

I  had  seen  nothing  of  Miss  Hemster,  and  began  to 
suspect  that  she  had  gone  ashore  and  that  the  yacht 
was  awaiting  her  return ;  but  a  glance  showed  me  that 
all  the  yacht's  boats  were  in  place,  so  if  the  young 
woman  had  indulged  in  a  supplementary  shopping- 
tour  it  must  have  been  in  a  sampan,  which  was  un- 
likely. 

The  old  gentleman,  as  I  approached  him,  eyed  my 
yachting  toggery  with  what  seemed  to  me  critical  dis- 
approval. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  you  're  all  fitted  out  for  a  cruise, 
are  n't  you  ?  Have  a  cigar," — and  he  offered  me  his 
case. 

I  took  the  weed  and  replied: 

"  Yes,  and  you  seem  ready  to  begin  a  cruise.  May 
I  ask  where  you  are  going?  " 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,"  he  replied  carelessly.  "  I 
have  n't  quite  made  up  my  mind  yet.  I  thought  per- 
haps you  might  be  able  to  decide  the  matter." 

"  To  decide !  "  I  answered  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  sitting  up  suddenly  and  throwing 
the  cigar  overboard.  "  What  nonsense  were  you  talk- 
ing to  my  daughter  yesterday  ?  " 

41 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  was  so  taken  aback  at  this  unexpected  and  gruff 
inquiry  that  I  fear  I  stood  there  looking  rather  idiotic, 
which  was  evidently  the  old  man's  own  impression  of 
me,  for  he  scowled  in  a  manner  that  was  extremely  dis- 
concerting. I  had  no  wish  to  adopt  the  Adam-like  ex- 
pedient of  blaming  the  woman;  but,  after  all,  he  had 
been  there  when  I  went  off  alone  with  her,  and  it  was 
really  not  my  fault  that  I  was  the  girl's  sole  compan- 
ion in  Nagasaki.  All  my  own  early  training  and  later 
social  prejudices  led  me  to  sympathize  with  Mr.  Hem- 
ster's  evident  ill-humour  regarding  our  shore  excur- 
sion, but  nevertheless  it  struck  me  as  a  trifle  belated. 
He  should  have  objected  when  the  proposal  was  made. 

"  Really,  sir/'  I  stammered  at  last,  "  I  'm  afraid  I 
must  say  I  don't  exactly  know  what  you  mean." 

"  I  think  I  spoke  plainly  enough,"  he  answered.  "  I 
wrant  you  to  be  careful  what  you  say,  and  if  you  come 
with  me  to  my  office,  where  we  shall  not  be  interrupt- 
ed, I  '11  give  you  a  straight  talking  to,  so  that  we  may 
avoid  trouble  in  the  future." 

I  was  speechless  with  amazement,  and  also  some- 
what indignant.  If  he  took  this  tone  with  me,  my 
place  was  evidently  going  to  be  one  of  some  difficulty. 
However,  needs  must  when  the  devil  drives,  even  if  he 
comes  from  Chicago ;  and  although  his  words  were  bit- 
ter to  endure,  I  was  in  a  manner  helpless  and  forced  to 
remember  my  subordinate  position,  which,  in  truth,  I 
had  perhaps  forgotten  during  my  shopping  experiences 
with  his  impulsive  daughter.  Yet  I  had  myself  made 
her  aware  of  my  situation,  and  if  our  conversation  at 
times  had  been  a  trifle  free  and  easy  I  think  the 

42 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

fault but  there  —  there  —  there 1  'm  at  the 

Adam  business  again.  The  woman  tempted  me,  and  I 
did  talk.  I  felt  humiliated  that  even  to  myself  I  placed 
any  blame  upon  her. 

Mr.  Hemster  rose,  nipped  off  the  point  of  another 
cigar,  and  strode  along  the  deck  to  the  companion-way, 
I  following  him  like  a  confessed  culprit.  He  led  me  to 
what  he  called  his  office,  a  room  not  very  much  larger 
than  my  own,  but  without  the  bunk  that  took  up  part 
of  the  space  in  my  cabin ;  in  fact  a  door  led  out  of  it 
which,  I  afterward  learned,  communicated  with  his 
bedroom.  The  office  was  fitted  up  with  an  American 
roll-top  desk  fastened  to  the  floor,  a  copying-press,  a 
typewriter,  filing-cases  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  other 
paraphernalia  of  a  completely  equipped  business  estab- 
lishment. There  was  a  swivelled  armchair  before  the 
desk,  into  which  Mr.  Hemster  dropped  and  leaned 
back,  the  springs  creaking  as  he  did  so.  There  was  but 
one  other  chair  in  the  room,  and  he  motioned  me  into 
it. 

"  See  here !  "  he  began  abruptly.  "  Did  you  tell  my 
daughter  yesterday  that  you  were  a  friend  of  the  Mi- 
kado's?" 

"  God  bless  me,  no !  "  I  was  surprised  into  replying. 
"  I  said  nothing  of  the  sort." 

"  Well,  you  left  her  under  that  impression." 

"  I  cannot  see,  Mr.  Hemster,  how  such  can  be  the 
case.  I  told  Miss  Hemster  that  I  had  met  the  Mikado 
on  several  occasions,  but  I  explained  to  her  that  these 
occasions  were  entirely  official,  and  each  time  I  merely 
accompanied  a  superior  officer  in  the  diplomatic  serv- 

43 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

ice.  Although  I  have  spoken  with  His  Majesty,  it  was 
merely  because  questions  were  addressed  to  me,  and 
because  I  was  the  only  person  present  sufficiently  con- 
versant with  the  Japanese  language  to  make  him  a 
reply  in  his  own  tongue." 

"  I  see,  I  see/'  mused  the  old  gentleman ;  "  but  Ger- 
tie somehow  got  it  into  her  head  that  you  could  intro- 
duce us  personally  to  the  Mikado.  I  told  her  it  was 
not  likely  that  a  fellow  I  had  picked  up  strapped  from 
the  streets  of  Nagasaki,  as  one  might  say,  would  be 
able  to  give  us  an  introduction  that  would  amount  to 
anything." 

I  felt  myself  getting  red  behind  the  ears  as  Mr. 
Hemster  put  my  situation  with,  what  seemed  to  me, 
such  unnecessary  brutality.  Yet,  after  all,  what  he  had 
said  was  the  exact  truth,  and  I  had  no  right  to  com- 
plain of  it,  for  if  there  was  money  in  my  pocket  at  that 
moment  it  was  because  he  had  placed  it  there ;  and  then 
I  saw  intuitively  that  he  meant  no  offence,  but  was 
merely  repeating  what  he  had  said  to  his  daughter, 
placing  the  case  in  a  way  that  would  be  convincing  to 
a  man,  whatever  effect  it  might  have  on  a  woman's 
mind. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  I  said,  "  that  I  must  have  expressed 
myself  clumsily  to  Miss  Hemster.  I  think  I  told  her, — 
but  I  make  the  statement  subject  to  correction, — that  I 
had  so  long  since  severed  my  connection  with  diplo- 
matic service  in  Tokio  that  even  the  slight  power  I  then 
possessed  no  longer  exists.  If  I  still  retained  my  for- 
mer position  I  should  scarcely  be  more  helpless  than  I 
am  now,  so  far  as  what  you  require  is  concerned." 

44 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  That 's  exactly  what  I  told  her,"  growled  the  old 
man.  ''  I  suppose  you  have  n't  any  suggestion  to  make 
that  would  help  me  out  at  all  ?  " 

"  The  only  suggestion  I  can  make  is  this,  and  indeed 
I  think  the  way  seems  perfectly  clear.  You  no  doubt 
know  your  own  Ambassador, —  perhaps  have  letters 
of  introduction  to  him, —  and  he  may  very  easily  ar- 
range for  you  to  have  an  audience  with  His  Majesty 
the  Mikado." 

"  Oh !  our  Ambassador !  "  growled  Mr.  Hemster  in 
tones  of  great  contempt ;  "  he  's  nothing  but  a  one- 
horse  politician." 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  I,  "  his  position  is  such  that  by 
merely  exercising  the  prerogatives  of  his  office  he 
could  get  you  what  you  wanted." 

"  No,  he  can 't,"  maintained  the  old  gentleman 
stoutly.  "  Still,  I  should  n't  say  anything  against  him ; 
he  's  all  right.  He  did  his  best  for  us,  and  if  we  could 
have  waited  long  enough  at  Yokohama  perhaps  he 
might  have  fixed  up  an  audience  with  the  Mikado. 
But  I  'd  had  enough  of  hanging  on  around  there,  and 
so  I  sailed  away.  Now,  my  son,  I  said  I  was  going  to 
give  you  a  talking  to,  and  I  am.  I  '11  tell  you  just  how 
the  land  lies,  so  you  can  be  of  some  help  to  me  and  not 
a  drawback.  I  want  you  to  be  careful  of  what  you  say 
to  Gertie  about  such  people  as  the  Mikado,  because  it 
excites  her  and  makes  her  think  certain  things  are  easy 
when  they  're  not." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  if  I  have  said  anything  that  led  to 
a  misapprehension.  I  certainly  did  not  intend  to." 

"  No,  no !    I  understand  that.    I  am  not  blaming  you 

45 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

a  bit.  I  just  want  you  to  catch  on  to  the  situation, 
that 's  all.  Gertie  likes  you  first  rate ;  she  told  me  so, 
and  I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  trouble 
you  took  yesterday  afternoon  in  entertaining  her.  She 
told  me  everything  you  said  and  did,  and  it  was  all 
right.  Now  Gertie  has  always  been  accustomed  to 
moving  in  the  very  highest  society.  She  does  n't  care 
for  anything  else,  and  she  took  to  you  from  the  very 
first.  I  was  glad  of  that,  because  I  should  have  con- 
sulted her  before  I  hired  you.  Nevertheless,  I  knew  the 
moment  you  spoke  that  you  were  the  man  I  wanted, 
and  so  I  took  the  risk.  I  never  cared  for  high  so- 
ciety myself;  my  intercourse  has  been  with  business 
men.  I  understand  them,  and  I  like  them ;  but  I  don't 
cut  any  figure  in  high  society,  and  I  don't  care  to, 
either.  Now,  with  Gertie  it 's  different.  She  's  been 
educated  at  the  finest  schools,  and  I  've  taken  her  all 
over  Europe,  where  we  stayed  at  the  very  best  hotels 
and  met  the  very  best  people  in  both  Europe  and 
America.  Why,  we  've  met  more  Sirs  and  Lords  and 
Barons  and  High  Mightinesses  than  you  can  shake  a 
stick  at.  Gertie,  she  's  right  at  home  among  those  kind 
of  people,  and,  if  I  do  say  it  myself,  she  's  quite  capable 
of  taking  her  place  among  the  best  of  them,  and  she 
knows  it.  There  never  was  a  time  we  came  in  to  the 
best  table  d'hote  in  Europe  that  every  eye  was  n't 
turned  toward  her,  and  she  's  been  the  life  of  the  most 
noted  hotels  that  exist,  no  matter  where  they  are,  and 
no  matter  what  their  price  is." 

I  ventured  to  remark  that  I  could  well  believe  this 
to  have  been  the  case. 

46 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Yes,  and  you  don't  need  to  take  my  word  for  it,'* 
continued  the  old  man  with  quite  perceptible  pride; 
"  you  may  ask  any  one  that  was  there.  Whether  it 
was  a  British  Lord,  or  a  French  Count,  or  a  German 
Baron,  or  an  Italian  Prince,  it  was  just  the  same.  I 
admit  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  some  of  those  nobles 
did  n't  amount  to  much.  But  that 's  neither  here  nor 
there ;  as  I  told  you  before,  I  'm  no  judge.  I  suppose 
they  have  their  usefulness  in  creation,  even  though  I  'm 
not  able  to  see  it.  But  the  result  of  it  all  was  that  Gertie 
got  tired  of  them,  and,  as  she  is  an  ambitious  girl 
and  a  real  lady,  she  determined  to  strike  higher,  and 
so,  when  we  bought  this  yacht  and  came  abroad  again, 
she  determined  to  go  in  for  Kings,  so  I  Ve  been  on  a 
King  hunt  ever  since,  and  to  tell  the  truth  it  has  cost 
me  a  lot  of  money  and  I  don't  like  it.  Not  that  I  mind 
the  money  if  it  resulted  in  anything,  but  it  has  n't  re- 
sulted in  anything ;  that  is,  it  has  n't  amounted  to 
much.  Gertie  does  n't  care  for  the  ordinary  presenta- 
tion at  Court,  for  nearly  anybody  can  have  that.  What 
she  wants  is  to  get  a  King  or  an  Emperor  right  here  on 
board  this  yacht  at  lunch  or  tea,  or  whatever  he  wants, 
and  enjoy  an  intimate  conversation  with  him,  just  like 
she  's  had  with  them  no-account  Princes.  Then  she 
wants  a  column  or  two  account  of  that  written  up  for 
the  Paris  edition  of  the  "  New  York  Herald,"  and  she 
wants  to  have  it  cabled  over  to  America.  Now  she  's 
the  only  chick  or  child  I  've  got.  Her  mother  's  been 
dead  these  fifteen  years,  and  Gertie  is  all  I  have  in  the 
world,  so  I  'm  willing  to  do  anything  she  wants  done, 
no  matter  whether  I  like  it  or  not.  But  I  don't  want 

47 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

to  engage  in  anything  that  does  n't  succeed.  Success  is 
the  one  thing  that  amounts  to  anything.  The  man  who 
is  a  failure  cuts  no  ice.  And  so  it  rather  grinds  me  to 
confess  that  I  've  been  a  failure  in  this  King  business. 
Now  I  don't  know  much  about  Kings,  but  it  strikes 
me  they  're  just  like  other  things  in  this  world.  If  you 
want  to  get  along  with  them,  you  must  study  them. 
It 's  like  climbing  a  stair ;  if  you  want  to  get  to  the  top 
you  must  begin  at  the  lowest  step.  If  you  try  to  take 
one  stride  up  to  the  top  landing,  why  you  're  apt  to 
come  down  on  your  head.  I  told  Gertie  it  was  no  use 
beginning  with  the  German  Emperor,  for  we  'd  have  to 
get  accustomed  to  the  low-down  Kings  and  gradually 
work  up.  She  believes  in  aiming  high.  That 's  all 
right  ordinarily,  but  it  is  n't  a  practical  proposition. 
Still,  I  let  her  have  her  way  and  did  the  best  I  could, 
but  it  was  no  use.  I  paid  a  German  Baron  a  certain 
sum  for  getting  the  Emperor  on  board  my  yacht,  but 
he  did  n't  deliver  the  goods.  So  I  said  to  Gertie :  '  My 
girl,  we'd  better  go  to  India,  or  some  place  where 
Kings  are  cheap,  and  practise  on  them  first/  She 
hated  to  give  in,  but  she  's  a  reasonable  young  woman 
if  you  take  her  the  right  way.  Well,  the  long  and  the 
short  of  it  was  that  we  sent  the  yacht  around  to  Mar- 
seilles, and  went  down  from  Paris  to  meet  her  there, 
and  sailed  to  Egypt,  and,  just  as  I  said,  we  had  no  dif- 
ficulty at  all  in  raking  in  the  Khedive.  But  that  was  n't 
very  satisfactory  when  all 's  said  and  done.  Gertie 
claimed  he  was  n't  a  real  king,  and  I  say  he  's  not  a 
real  gentleman.  We  had  a  little  unpleasantness  there, 
and  he  became  altogether  too  friendly,  so  we  sailed  ofl£ 

48 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

down  through  the  Canal  a  hunting  Kings,  till  at  last 
\ve  got  here  to  Japan.  Now  we  're  up  against  it  once 
more,  and  I  suppose  this  here  Mikado  has  hobnobbed 
so  much  with  real  Emperors  and  that  sort  of  thing  that 
he  thinks  himself  a  white  man  like  the  rest.  So  I  says 
to  Gertie,  '  There  's  a  genuine  Emperor  in  Corea,  good 
enough  to  begin  on,  and  we  '11  go  there/  and  that 's 
how  we  came  round  from  Yokohama  to  Nagasaki,  and 
dropped  in  here  to  get  a  few  things  we  might  not  be 
able  to  obtain  in  Corea.  The  moment  I  saw  you  and 
learned  that  you  knew  a  good  deal  about  the  East,  it 
struck  me  that  if  I  took  you  on  as  private  secretary 
you  would  be  able  to  give  me  a  few  points,  and  per- 
haps take  charge  of  this  business  altogether.  Do  you 
think  you  'd  be  able  to  do  that?  " 

"  Well,"  I  said  hesitatingly,  "  I  'm  not  sure,  but  if 
I  can  be  of  any  use  to  you  on  such  a  quest  it  will  be  in 
Corea.  I  've  been  there  on  two  or  three  occasions,  and 
each  time  had  an  audience  with  the  King." 

"  Why  do  you  call  him  the  King?  Is  n't  he  an  Em- 
peror?" 

"  Well,  I  've  always  called  him  the  King,  but  I  've 
heard  people  term  him  the  Emperor." 

"  The  American  papers  always  call  him  an  Emperor. 
So  you  think  you  could  manage  it,  eh  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  there  would  be  any  difficulty 
about  the  matter.  Of  course  you  are  aware  he  is  mere- 
ly a  savage." 

"  Well,  they  're  all  savages  out  here,  are  n't  they  ?  I 
don't  suppose  he  's  any  worse  or  any  better  than  the 
Mikado." 

49 


A1    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Oh,  the  Mikado  belongs  to  one  of  the  most  ancient 
civilizations  in  the  world.  I  don't  think  the  two  poten- 
tates are  at  all  on  a  par." 

"  Well,  that 's  all  right.  That  just  bears  out  what  I 
was  saying,  that  it 's  the  correct  thing  to  begin  with  the 
lowest  of  them.  You  see  I  hate  to  admit  I  'm  too  old 
to  learn  anything,  and  I  think  I  can  learn  this  King 
business  if  I  stick  long  enough  at  it.  But  I  don't  be- 
lieve in  a  man  trying  to  make  a  grand  piano  before 
he  knows  how  to  handle  a  saw.  So  you  see,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne,  the  position  is  just  this.  I  want  to  sail  for 
Corea,  and  Gertie,  she  wants  to  go  back  to  Yokohama 
and  tackle  the  Mikado  again,  thinking  you  can  pull  it 
off  this  time." 

"  I  dislike  very  much  to  disagree  with  a  lady,"  I 
said,  "  but  I  think  your  plan  is  the  more  feasible  of  the 
two.  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  possible  to  get  the  Mi- 
kado to  come  aboard  this  yacht,  but  it  might  be  that  the 
King  of  Corea  would  accept  your  invitation." 

"  What 's  the  name  of  the  capital  of  that  place  ? " 
asked  Mr.  Hemster. 

"  It  is  spelled  S-e-o-u-1,  and  is  pronounced  '  Sool.' " 

"  How  far  is  it  from  here  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,  but  it  must  be  something 
like  four  hundred  miles,  perhaps  a  little  more." 

"It  is  on  the  sea?" 

"  No.  It  lies  some  twenty-six  miles  inland  by  road, 
and  more  than  double  that  distance  by  the  winding 
river  Han." 

"  Can  I  steam  up  that  river  with  this  yacht  to  the 
capital  ?  " 

SO 


"  No,  I  don't  think  you  could.  You  could  go  part 
way,  perhaps,  but  I  imagine  your  better  plan  would  be 
to  moor  at  the  port  of  Chemulpo  and  go  to  Seoul  by 
road,  although  the  road  is  none  of  the  best." 

"  I  've  got  a  little  naphtha  launch  on  board.  I  sup- 
pose the  river  is  big  enough  for  us  to  go  up  to  the  capi- 
tal in  that?" 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  you  could  do  it  in  a  small  launch, 
but  the  river  is  so  crooked  that  I  doubt  if  you  would 
gain  much  time,  although  you  might  gain  in  comfort." 

"  Very  well,  we  '11  make  for  that  port,  whatever  you 
call  it,"  said  Hemster,  rising.  "  Now,  if  you  '11  just 
take  i  an  armchair  on  deck,  and  smoke,  I  '11  give  in- 
structions to  the  captain." 


CHAPTER  V 

WE  had  been  a  long  time  together  in  the  little 
office,  longer  even  than  this  extended  con- 
versation would  lead  a  reader  to  imagine, 
and  as  I  went  through  the  saloon  I  saw  that  they  were 
laying  the  table  for  lunch,  a  sight  by  no  means  ungrate- 
ful to  me,  for  I  had  risen  early  and  enjoyed  but  a  small 
and  frugal  breakfast.  I  surmised  from  the  prepara- 
tions going  forward  that  I  should  in  the  near  future 
have  something  better  than  rice.  When  I  reached  the 
deck  I  saw  the  captain  smoking  a  pipe  and  still  pacing 
the  bridge  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets.  He  was  a 
grizzled  old  sea-dog,  who,  I  found  later,  had  come  from 
the  Cape  Cod  district,  and  was  what  he  looked,  a  most 
capable  man.  I  went  aft  and  sat  down,  not  wishing  to 
go  forward  and  became  acquainted  with  the  captain, 
as  I  expected  every  moment  that  Mr.  Hemster  would 
come  up  ;;nd  give  him  his  sailing-orders.  But  time 
passed  on  and  nothing  happened,  merely  the  same  state 
of  tension  that  occurs  when  every  one  is  ready  to  move 
and  no  move  is  made.  At  last  the  gong  sounded  for 
lunch.  I  saw  the  captain  pause  in  his  promenade, 
knock  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  into  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  and  prepare  to  go  down.  So  I  rose  and  de- 
scended the  stairway,  giving  a  nod  of  recognition  to 
the  captain,  who  followed  at  my  heels.  The  table  was 

52 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

laid  for  five  persons.  Mr.  Hemster  occupied  the  po- 
sition at  the  head  of  it,  and  on  his  right  sat  his  daugh- 
ter, her  head  bent  down  over  the  tablecloth.  On  the 
opposite  side,  at  Mr.  Hemster's  left,  sat  the  young  lady 
of  whom  I  had  had  a  glimpse  the  afternoon  before. 
The  captain  pushed  past  me  with  a  gruff,  "  How  de 
do,  all,"  which  was  not  responded  to.  He  took  the 
place  at  the  farther  end  of  the  table.  If  I  have  de- 
scribed the  situation  on  deck  as  a  state  of  tension,  much 
more  so  was  the  atmosphere  of  the  dining-saloon. 
The  silence  was  painful,  and,  not  knowing  what  better 
to  do,  I  approached  Miss  Hemster  and  said  pleasantly : 

"  Good-morning.  I  hope  you  are  none  the  worse 
for  your  shopping  expedition  of  yesterday." 

The  young  woman  did  not  look  up  or  reply  till  her 
father  said  in  beseeching  tones  : 

"  Gertie,  Mr.  Tremorne  is  speaking  to  you." 

Then  she  glanced  at  me  with  eyes  that  seemed  to 
sparkle  dangerously. 

"  Oh,  how  do  you  do  ?  "  she  said  rapidly.  "  Your 
place  is  over  there  by  Miss  Stretton." 

There  was  something  so  insulting  in  the  tone  and  in- 
flection that  it  made  the  words,  simple  as  they  were, 
seem  like  a  slap  in  the  face.  Their  purport  seemed  to 
be  to  put  me  in  my  proper  position  in  that  society,  to 
warn  me  that,  if  I  had  been  treated  as  a  friend  the  day 
before,  conditions  were  now  changed,  and  I  was  mere- 
ly, as  she  had  previously  remarked,  her  father's  hired 
man.  My  situation  was  anything  but  an  enviable  one, 
and  as  there  was  nothing  to  say  I  merely  bowed  low  to 
the  girl,  walked  around  behind  the  captain,  and  took 

53 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

my  place  beside  Miss  Stretton,  as  I  had  been  com- 
manded to  do.  I  confess  I  was  deeply  hurt  by  the 
studied  insolence  of  look  and  voice;  but  a  moment 
later  I  felt  that  I  was  probably  making  a  mountain  of 
a  molehill,  for  the  good,  bluff  captain  said,  as  if  noth- 
ing unusual  had  happened : 

"  That 's  right,  young  man ;  I  see  you  have  been 
correctly  brought  up.  Always  do  what  the  women  tell 
you.  Obey  orders  if  you  break  owners.  That 's  what 
we  do  in  our  country.  In  our  country,  sir,  we  allow 
the  women  to  rule,  and  their  word  is  law,  even  though 
the  men  vote." 

"  Such  is  not  the  case  in  the  East,"  I  could  not  help 
replying. 

"  Why,"  said  the  captain,  "  it 's  the  East  I  'm  talk- 
ing about.  All  throughout  the  Eastern  States,  yes, 
and  the  Western  States,  too." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  I  replied,  "  I  was  refer- 
ring to  the  East  of  Asia.  The  women  don't  rule  in 
these  countries." 

"  Well,"  said  the  staunch  captain,  "  then  that 's  the 
reason  they  amount  to  so  little.  I  never  knew  an 
Eastern  country  yet  that  was  worth  the  powder  to  blow 
it  up." 

"  I  'm  afraid,"  said  I,  "  that  your  rule  does  not  prove 
universally  good.  It 's  a  woman  who  reigns  in  China, 
and  I  shouldn't  hold  that  Empire  up  as  an  example 
to  others." 

The  captain  laughed  heartily. 

"  Young  man,  you  're  contradicting  yourself. 
You  're  excited,  I  guess.  You  said  a  minute  ago  that 

54 


women  did  n't  rule  in  the  East,  and  now  you  show 
that  the  largest  country  in  the  East  is  ruled  by  a 
woman.  You  can't  have  it  both  ways,  you  know." 

I  laughed  somewhat  dismally  in  sympathy  with  him, 
and,  lunch  now  being  served,  the  good  man  devoted  his 
entire  attention  to  eating.  As  no  one  else  said  a  word 
except  the  captain  and  myself,  I  made  a  feeble  but 
futile  attempt  to  cause  the  conversation  to  become  gen- 
eral. I  glanced  at  my  fair  neighbor  to  the  right,  who 
had  not  looked  up  once  since  I  entered.  Miss  Stretton 
was  not  nearly  so  handsome  a  girl  as  Miss  Hemster, 
yet  nevertheless  in  any  ordinary  company  she  would  be 
regarded  as  very  good-looking.  She  had  a  sweet  and 
sympathetic  face,  and  at  the  present  moment  it  was 
rosy  red. 

"  Have  you  been  in  Nagasaki  ?  "  I  asked,  which  was 
a  stupid  question,  for  I  knew  she  had  not  visited  the 
town  the  day  before,  and  unless  she  had  gone  very 
early  there  was  no  time  for  her  to  have  been  ashore 
before  I  came  aboard. 

She  answered  "  No  "  in  such  low  tones  that,  fearing 
I  had  not  heard  it,  she  cleared  her  throat,  and  said 
"  No  "  again.  Then  she  raised  her  eyes  for  one  brief 
second,  cast  a  sidelong  glance  at  me,  so  appealing  and 
so  vivid  with  intelligence,  that  I  read  it  at  once  to 
mean,  "  Oh,  please  do  not  talk  to  me." 

The  meal  was  most  excellent,  yet  I  never  remember 
to  have  endured  a  half-hour  so  unpleasant.  Across 
the  table  from  me,  Miss  Hemster  had  pushed  away 
plate  after  plate  and  had  touched  nothing.  When  I 
spoke  to  her  companion  she  began  drumming  nervously 

55 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

on  the  tablecloth  with  her  fingers,  as  if  she  had  great 
difficulty  in  preventing  herself  giving  expression  to  an 
anger  that  was  only  too  palpable.  Her  father  went 
on  stolidly  with  his  lunch,  and  made  no  effort  to  relieve 
the  rigor  of  the  amazing  situation.  As  soon  as  the 
main  dish  had  been  served  and  disposed  of,  the  captain 
rose,  and,  nodding  to  the  company,  made  for  the  com- 
panion-way. Once  there  he  turned  on  his  heel  and 
said: 

"  Mr.  Hemster,  any  orders  ?  " 

Before  her  father  could  reply,  the  young  lady  rose 
with  an  action  so  sudden  and  a  gesture  of  her  right 
hand  so  sweeping  that  the  plate  before  her  toppled  and 
fell  with  a  crash  to  the  floor.  I  noticed  Mr.  Hemster 
instinctively  grasp  the  tablecloth,  but  the  girl  marched 
away  as  erect  as  a  grenadier,  her  shapely  shoulders 
squared  as  if  she  was  on  military  parade,  and  thus  she 
disappeared  into  the  forward  part  of  the  ship.  Miss 
Stretton  looked  up  at  her  employer,  received  a  slight 
nod,  then  she,  with  a  murmur  of  excuse  to  me,  rose  and 
followed  the  mistress  of  the  ship.  I  heard  a  loud, 
angry  voice,  shrill  as  that  of  a  peacock,  for  a  moment, 
then  a  door  was  closed,  and  all  was  still.  Mr.  Hemster 
said  slowly  to  the  captain : 

"  111  be  up  there  in  a  minute  and  let  you  know 
where  we  're  going.  We  Ve  got  all  the  time  there  is, 
you  know." 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  said  the  captain,  disappearing. 

There  was  nothing  to  say,  so  I  said  nothing,  and  Mr. 
Hemster  and  I  sat  out  our  lonely  meal  together.  He 
seemed  in  no  way  perturbed  by  what  had  taken  place, 

56 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

and  as,  after  all,  it  was  no  affair  of  mine,  even  if  my 
unfortunate  remark  regarding  the  Mikado  had  been 
the  cause  of  it,  I  said  inwardly  there  was  little  reason 
for  my  disturbing  myself  about  it.  Although  the  old 
gentleman  showed  no  outward  sign  of  inward  commo- 
tion, he  nevertheless  seemed  anxious  that  our  dismal 
meal  should  draw  to  a  speedy  close,  for  he  said  to  me 
at  last : 

"If  you  wish  for  coffee,  you  can  have  it  served  to 
you  on  deck." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  I,  glad  to  avail  myself  of  the  op- 
portunity to  escape.  As  I  mounted  the  companion- 
way  I  heard  him  say  in  firmer  tones  than  I  had  known 
him  to  use  before : 

"  Tell  my  daughter  to  come  here  to  me," —  a  com- 
mand answered  by  the  gentle  "  Yes,  sir,"  of  the  Jap- 
anese boy. 

I  moved  the  wicker  chair  and  table  as  far  aft  as 
possible,  to  be  out  of  earshot  should  any  remarks  fol- 
low me  from  the  saloon.  I  saw  the  captain  on  the 
bridge  again,  pacing  up  and  down,  pipe  in  mouth  and, 
hands  in  pockets.  Even  at  that  distance  I  noticed  on 
his  face  a  semi-comical  grimace,  and  it  actually  seemed 
to  me  that  he  winked  his  left  eye  in  my  direction.  The 
coffee  did  not  come,  and  as  I  rose  to  stroll  forward  and 
converse  with  the  captain  I  could  not  help  hearing  the 
low  determined  tones  of  the  man  down  in  the  saloon, 
mingled  now  and  then  with  the  high-pitched,  angry 
voice  of  the  woman.  As  I  hurried  forward  there  next 
came  up  the  companion-way  a  scream  so  terrible  and 
ear-piercing  that  it  must  have  startled  every  one  on 

57 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

board,  yet  nobody  moved.  This  was  followed  instantly 
by  a  crash,  as  if  the  table  had  been  flung  over,  which 
of  course  was  impossible,  as  it  was  fastened  to  the  floor. 
Then  came  the  hysterical,  terrifying  half-scream,  half- 
sob  of  a  woman  apparently  in  mortal  agony,  and  in- 
stinctively I  started  down  the  companion-way,  to  be 
met  by  Miss  Stretton,  who  stretched  her  arms  from 
side  to  side  of  the  stairway.  The  appealing  look  I 
had  noticed  before  was  in  her  eyes,  and  she  said  in  a 
low  voice : 

"  Please  don't  come  down.     You  can  do  no  good." 

"  Is  anybody  hurt  ?  "  I  cried. 

"  No,  nobody,  nobody.    Please  don't  come  down." 

I  turned  back,  and  not  wishing  to  see  the  captain  or 
any  one  else  at  that  moment,  sat  down  in  my  chair 
again.  The  sobs  died  away,  and  then  Mr.  Hemster 
came  up  the  companion-way  with  a  determined  look 
on  his  face  which  seemed  to  me  to  say,  "  Women  do  not 
rule  after  all."  Once  on  deck  he  shouted  out  to  the 
captain  the  one  word: 

"Corea!" 


CkAPTER  VI 

THE  shouting  of  those  three  syllables  was  like 
the  utterance  of  a  talismanic  word  in  an 
Arabian  legend.  It  cleft  the  spell  of  inac- 
tivity which  hung  over  officers  and  crew  as  the  sweep 
of  a  scimitar  cuts  through  the  web  of  enchantment. 
The  silence  was  immediately  broken  by  the  agitated 
snorting  of  a  pony-engine,  and  the  rattle  of  the  anchor- 
chain  coming  up.  Then  the  melodious  jingling  of  bells 
down  below  told  the  engineer  to  "  stand  by."  As  the 
snort  of  the  engine  and  the  rattle  of  the  chain  ceased, 
the  crew  mustered  forward  and  began  to  stow  the  an- 
chor. Another  jingle  below,  and  then  began  the  pul- 
sating of  the  engines,  while  the  sharp  prow  of  the 
yacht  seemed  slowly  to  brush  aside  the  distant  hills  and 
set  them  moving.  To  a  seasoned  traveller  like  myself 
there  is  something  stimulating  in  the  first  throb  of  an 
engine  aboard  ship.  It  means  new  scenes  and  fresh 
experiences.  Farewell  Nagasaki  and  starvation;  yes, 
and  sometimes  despair.  Yet  I  had  a  warm  corner  in 
my  heart  for  the  old  commercial  city,  with  its  queer 
little  picturesque  inhabitants,  whose  keen  eye  for  busi- 
ness was  nevertheless  frequently  softened  by  senti- 
ment. 

The  man  whose  sharply  uttered  words  had  called  up 
commotion  out  of  the  stillness  sank  somewhat  listlessly 

59 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

into  his  customary  armchair,  and  put  his  feet,  crossed, 
on  the  rail.  There  was  something  in  his  attitude  that 
warned  me  he  did  not  wish  his  privacy  intruded  upon, 
so  I  leaned  over  the  opposite  rail  and  steadfastly  re- 
garded the  receding  city.  The  big  yacht  moved 
smoothly  and  swiftly  over  the  waters  of  Nagasaki  Bay, 
which  at  that  moment  glittered  dazzlingly  in  the  sun- 
light. The  craft  was  evidently  well  engined,  for  the 
vibration  was  scarcely  perceptible,  and  somehow  it 
gave  one  the  consciousness  that  there  was  a  reserve  of 
power  which  might  be  called  upon  in  a  pinch.  Once 
clear  of  Nagasaki  Bay  the  captain  laid  her  course  due 
west,  as  if  we  were  to  race  the  declining  sun.  I  sur- 
mised that  a  safe  rather  than  a  quick  voyage  was  his 
object,  and  that  he  intended  to  strike  through  the  Yel- 
low Sea  and  avoid  threading  the  mazes  of  the  Corean 
Archipelago. 

Long  before  the  gong  sounded  for  dinner  we  were 
out  of  sight  of  land.  As  I  went  down  the  companion 
stairs  I  must  admit  that  I  looked  forward  to  the  meal 
with  some  degree  of  apprehension,  hoping  the  atmos- 
phere would  be  less  electric  than  during  luncheon.  I 
need  have  harboured  no  fear;  Mr.  Hemster,  the  cap- 
tain, and  myself  sat  down,  but  the  ladies  did  not  appear 
during  the  meal.  Mr.  Hemster  had  little  to  say,  but  the 
jovial  captain  told  some  excellent  stories,  which  to  his 
amazement  and  delight  I  laughed  at,  for  he  had  a 
theory  that  no  Englishman  could  see  the  point  of  any 
yarn  that  ever  was  spun.  Mr.  Hemster  never  once 
smiled ;  probably  he  had  heard  the  stories  before,  and 
in  the  middle  of  dinner  (such  seemed  to  be  the  cap- 

60 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

tain's  impolite  habit)  the  story-teller  rose  and  left  us. 
He  paused  with  his  foot  on  the  first  step,  as  he  had 
done  before,  turned  to  the  owner,  and  said : 

"  No  particular  hurry  about  reaching  Corea,  is 
there?" 

"Why?"  asked  Hemster  shortly. 

"  Well,  you  see,  sir,  I  don't  want  to  run  down  and 
sink  one  of  them  there  little  islands  in  the  Archipelago, 
and  have  a  suit  for  damages  against  me;  so,  unless 
you  're  in  a  hurry  I  propose  to  run  a  couple  of  hundred 
miles  west,  and  then  north  this  side  of  the  hundred- 
and-twenty-fifth  meridian." 

"Washington  or  Greenwich?"  asked  the  owner. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  captain  with  a  smile,  "  I  'm  not 
particular,  so  long  as  there  's  a  clear  way  ahead  of  me. 
I  once  sailed  with  a  Dutchman  who  worked  on  the 
meridian  of  Ferro,  which  is  the  westernmost  point  of 
the  Canary  Islands.  When  I  am  in  home  waters  of 
course  I  work  by  Washington,  but  the  charts  I  've  got 
for  this  region  is  Greenwich,  and  so  I  say  the  hundred- 
and-twenty-fifth." 

"  That  's  all  right,"  replied  Hemster  seriously.  "  I 
thought  you  were  too  patriotic  a  man  to  use  any 
meridian  but  our  own,  and  then  I  thought  you  were 
so  polite  you  were  using  Greenwich  out  of  compliment 
to  Mr.  Tremorne  here.  You  pick  out  the  meridian  that 
has  the  fewest  islands  along  it  and  fewest  big  waves, 
and  you  '11  satisfy  me." 

The  owner  said  all  this  quite  seriously,  and  I  per- 
ceived he  had  a  sense  of  humour  which  at  first  I  had 
not  given  him  credit  for. 

61 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

The  captain  laughed  good-naturedly  and  disap- 
peared. Mr.  Hemster  and  I  finished  our  dinner  to- 
gether in  silence,  then  went  on  deck  and  had  coffee  and 
cigars.  Although  he  proffered  wine  and  liqueurs  he 
never  drank  any  spirits  himself.  I  was  able  to  help 
him  out  in  that  direction,  as  he  once  drily  remarked. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  evenings  I  had  ever 
witnessed.  There  was  no  breeze  except  the  gentle  cur- 
rent caused  by  the  motion  of  the  yacht.  The  sea  was 
like  glass,  and  as  night  fell  the  moon  rose  nearly  at 
the  full.  Mr.  Hemster  retired  early,  as  I  afterward 
learned  was  his  custom,  but  whether  to  work  in  his 
office  or  to  sleep  in  his  bed  I  never  knew.  He  seemed 
to  have  no  amusement  except  the  eternal  rolling  of  the 
unlit  cigar  in  his  lips.  Although  there  was  a  good  li- 
brary on  board  I  never  saw  him  open  a  book  or  display 
the  slightest  interest  in  anything  pertaining  to  litera- 
ture, science,  or  art.  This  is  a  strange  world,  and  in 
spite  of  his  undoubted  wealth  I  experienced  a  feeling 
of  pity  for  him,  and  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  he 
entertained  the  same  feeling  toward  me. 

I  went  forward  after  my  employer  left  me,  and  asked 
the  captain  if  outsiders  were  permitted  on  the  bridge, 
receiving  from  him  a  cordial  invitation  to  ascend.  He 
had  a  wooden  chair  up  there  in  which  he  sat,  tilted  back 
against  the  after  rail  of  the  bridge,  while  his  crossed 
feet  were  elevated  on  the  forward  one,  and  in  this  free 
and  easy  attitude  was  running  the  ship.  Of  course 
there  was  nothing  calling  for  exceeding  vigilance,  be- 
cause the  great  wratery  plain,  bounded  by  the  far-off, 
indistinct  horizon,  was  absolutely  empty,  and  the  yacht 

62 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

jogged  along  at  an  easy  pace,  which,  as  I  have  said, 
gave  one  the  impression  that  much  power  was  held  in 
reserve.  I  sat  on  the  forward  rail  opposite  him,  and 
listened  to  his  stories,  which  were  often  quaint  and  al- 
ways good.  He  had  been  a  fisherman  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland  in  his  early  days,  and  his  droll  char- 
acterization of  the  men  he  had  met  were  delicious  to 
listen  to.  From  the  very  first  day  I  admired  the  cap- 
tain, whose  name  I  never  learned,  and  this  admiration 
increased  the  more  I  knew  of  him.  I  often  wonder  if 
he  is  still  following  the  sea,  and  indeed  I  can  never 
imagine  him  doing  anything  else.  He  was  able,  effi- 
cient, and  resourceful ;  as  capable  a  man  as  it  was  ever 
my  fortune  to  meet. 

My  interest  in  the  captain's  stories  came  to  an  abrupt 
conclusion  when  I  saw  a  lady  emerge  from  the  com- 
panion-way, look  anxiously  around  for  a  moment,  and 
then  begin  a  slow  promenade  up  and  down  the  after 
deck.  I  bade  good-night  to  the  captain,  and  descended 
from  the  bridge.  The  lady  paused  as  she  saw  me  ap- 
proach, and  I  thought  for  a  moment  she  was  about  to 
retreat.  But  she  did  not  do  so.  I  had  determined  to 
speak  to  Miss  Hemster  on  the  first  opportunity  as  if 
nothing  had  occurred.  Ill-will  is  bad  enough  in  any 
case,  but  nowhere  is  it  more  deplorable  than  on  ship- 
board, because  people  have  no  escape  from  one  another 
there.  I  was  resolved  that  so  far  as  I  was  concerned 
there  should  not  be  a  continuance  of  the  estrangement, 
which  must  affect  more  or  less  each  one  in  our  com- 
pany, unless  it  was  the  captain,  who  seemed  a  true  phi- 
losopher, taking  whatever  came  with  equal  noncha- 

63 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

lance.  As  I  neared  the  lady,  however,  I  saw  she  was 
not  Gertrude  Hemster,  but  Hilda  Stretton. 

"  It  is  a  lovely  evening,  Miss  Stretton,"  I  ventured 
to  say,  "  and  I  am  glad  to  see  you  on  deck  to  enjoy  it." 

"  I  came  up  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air,"  she  replied 
simply,  with  no  enthusiasm  for  the  loveliness  of  the 
night,  which  I  had  just  been  extolling.  I  surmised  in- 
stinctively that  she  preferred  to  be  alone,  and  was  in- 
wardly aware  that  the  correct  thing  for  me  to  do  was 
to  raise  my  yachting-cap  and  pass  on,  for  she  had  evi- 
dently come  to  a  standstill  in  her  promenade,  to  give 
me  no  excuse  for  joining  it.  But,  whether  or  not  it 
was  the  glamour  of  the  moonlight,  her  face  was  much 
more  attractive  than  it  had  seemed  when,  for  the  first 
time,  I  had  had  a  glimpse  of  it,  and,  be  that  as  it  may, 
I  say  this  in  excuse  for  my  persistence.  When  has  a 
young  man  ever  been  driven  from  his  purpose  by  the 
unresponsiveness  of  the  lady  he  is  bold  enough  to  ad- 
dress ? 

"  If  you  do  not  mind,  Miss  Stretton,  I  should  be  very 
much  gratified  if  you  would  allow  me  to  join  your 
evening  saunter." 

"  The  deck  belongs  as  much  to  you  as  it  does  to  me," 
was  her  cold  rejoinder,  "  and  I  think  I  should  tell  you 
I  am  but  the  paid  servant  of  its  actual  owner." 

I  laughed,  more  to  chase  away  her  evident  embar- 
rassment than  because  there  was  anything  really  to 
laugh  about.  I  have  noticed  that  a  laugh  sometimes 
drives  away  restraint.  It  is  the  most  useful  of  human 
ejaculations,  and  often  succeeds  where  words  would 
fail. 

64 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  A  warning  in  exchange  for  your  warning ! "  I 
exclaimed  as  cheerfully  as  I  could.  "  I,  too,  am  a  paid 
servant  of  the  owner  of  this  yacht." 

"  I  did  not  expect  to  hear  the  cousin  of  Lord  Tre- 
morne  admit  as  much,"  she  replied,  thawing  somewhat. 

"  Well,  you  have  just  heard  the  cousin  of  his  lord- 
ship do  so,  and  I  may  add  on  behalf  of  Lord  Tremorne 
that  if  he  were  in  my  place  I  know  his  candour  would 
compel  him  to  say  the  same  thing." 

"  Englishmen  think  themselves  very  honest,  do  they 
not  ? "  she  commented,  somewhat  ungraciously,  it 
seemed  to  me,  for  after  all  I  was  trying  to  make  con- 
versation, always  a  difficult  task  when  there  is  veiled 
opposition. 

"  Oh,  some  Englishmen  are  honest,  and  some  are 
not,  as  is  the  case  with  other  nationalities.  I  don't 
suppose  a  dishonest  Englishman  would  have  any  delu- 
sions about  the  matter,  and  perhaps  if  you  pressed  him 
he  would  admit  his  delinquency.  I  hope  you  are  not 
prejudiced  against  us  as  a  nation;  and,  if  you  are,  I 
sincerely  trust  you  will  not  allow  any  impression  you 
may  have  acquired  regarding  myself  to  deepen  that 
prejudice,  because  I  am  far  from  being  a  representa- 
tive Englishman." 

We  were  now  walking  up  and  down  the  deck  to- 
gether, but  her  next  remark  brought  me  to  an  amazed 
standstill. 

"  If  you  possess  the  candour  with  which  you  have 
just  accredited  yourself  and  your  people,  you  would 
have  said  that  you  hoped  I  was  not  prejudiced  against 
your  nation,  but  you  were  certain,  if  such  unfortu- 

65 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

nately  was  the  case,  the  charm  of  your  manner  and  the 
delight  of  your  conversation  would  speedily  remove  it." 

"  Good  gracious,  Miss  Stretton,"  I  cried,  "  do  you 
take  me  for  a  conceited  ass  ?  " 

The  lady  condescended  to  laugh  a  little,  very  low  and 
very  sweetly,  but  it  was  an  undeniable  laugh,  and  so  I 
was  grateful  for  it. 

"  You  mistake  me,"  she  said.  "  I  took  you  for  a 
superior  person,  that  was  all,  and  I  think  superior  per- 
sons sometimes  make  mistakes." 

"  What  mistake  have  I  fallen  into,  if  you  will  be  so 
good  as  to  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Well,  as  a  beginning,  Mr.  Tremorne,  I  think  that 
if  I  was  an  English  lady  you  would  not  venture  to  ac- 
cost me  as  you  have  done  to-night,  without  a  proper 
introduction." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  considered  myself  intro- 
duced to  you  by  Miss  Hemster  to-day  at  luncheon; 
and  if  our  host  had  not  so  regarded  it,  I  imagine  he 
would  have  remedied  the  deficiency." 

"  Mr.  Hemster,  with  a  delicacy  which  I  regret  to  say 
seems  to  be  unappreciated,  knowing  me  to  be  a  servant 
in  his  employ,  did  not  put  upon  me  the  embarrassment 
of  an  introduction." 

"  Really,  Miss  Stretton,  I  find  myself  compelled  to 
talk  to  you  rather  seriously,"  said  I,  with  perhaps  a 
regrettable  trace  of  anger  in  my  voice.  "  You  show 
yourself  to  be  an  extremely  ignorant  young  woman." 

Again  she  laughed  very  quietly. 

"  Oh ! "  she  cried,  with  an  exultation  that  had 
hitherto  been  absent  from  her  conversation ;  "  the 

66 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

veneer  is  coming  off,  and  the  native  Englishman  stands 
revealed  in  the  moonlight." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  the  veneer  is  coming  off. 
And  now,  if  you  have  the  courage  of  your  statements, 
you  will  hear  the  truth  about  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  you  like  to  say  sharp  things  and  then  run 
away  from  the  consequences,  there  is  the  saloon,  or 
there  is  the  other  side  of  the  deck.  Take  your  choice." 

"  I  shall  borrow  a  piece  of  English  brag  and  say  I 
am  no  coward.  Go  on." 

"  Very  well.  I  came  down  from  the  bridge  after  a 
most  friendly  and  delightful  talk  with  the  captain,  hav- 
ing no  other  thought  in  my  mind  than  to  make  myself 
an  agreeable  comrade  to  you  when  I  saw  you  on  deck." 

"  That  was  a  very  disingenuous  beginning  for  a 
truthful  lecture,  Mr.  Tremorne.  When  you  saw  me, 
you  thought  it  was  Miss  Hemster,  and  you  found  out 
too  late  that  it  was  I ;  so  you  approached  me  with  the 
most  polite  and  artful  covering  of  your  disappoint- 
ment." 

We  were  walking  up  and  down  the  deck  again,  and 
took  one  or  two  turns  before  I  spoke  once  more. 

"  Yes,  Miss  Stretton,  you  are  demoniacally  right.  I 
shall  amend  the  beginning  of  my  lecture,  then,  by  al- 
luding to  an  incident  which  I  did  not  expect  to  touch 
upon.  At  luncheon  Miss  Hemster  received  my  greet- 
ing with  what  seemed  to  me  unnecessary  insolence. 
We  are  to  be  housed  together  for  some  time  aboard 
this  yacht;  therefore  I  came  down  to  greet  her  as  if 
the  incident  to  which  I  have  alluded  had  not  taken 
place." 

67 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  How  very  good  of  you ! "  said  Miss  Stretton  sar- 
castically. 

"  Madam,  I  quite  agree  with  you.  Now  we  will 
turn  to  some  of  your  own  remarks,  if  you  don't  mind. 
In  the  first  place,  you  said  I  would  not  address  an  Eng- 
lish lady  to  whom  I  had  not  been  properly  introduced. 
In  that  statement  you  were  entirely  wrong.  Five 
years  ago,  on  an  Atlantic  liner,  I,  without  having  been 
introduced,  asked  the  Countess  of  Bayswater  to  walk 
the  deck  with  me,  and  she  graciously  consented. 
Some  time  after  that,  the  deck  steward  being  absent, 
her  Grace  the  Duchess  of  Pentonville,  without  a  for- 
mal introduction  to  me,  asked  me  to  tuck  her  up  in 
her  steamer  chair;  then  she  requested  me  to  sit  down 
beside  her,  which  I  did,  and  we  entered  into  the  begin- 
ning of  a  very  pleasant  acquaintance  which  lasted  dur- 
ing the  voyage." 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  Miss  Stretton,  evidently  unim- 
pressed, "  how  fond  you  are  of  citing  members  of  the 
nobility ! " 

"  Many  of  them  are,  or  have  been,  friends  of  my 
own ;  so  why  should  I  not  cite  them  ?  However,  my 
object  was  entirely  different.  If  I  had  said  that  Mrs. 
Jones  or  Mrs.  Smith  were  the  people  in  question,  you 
might  very  well  have  doubted  that  they  were  ladies, 
and  so  my  illustration  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground. 
You  said  English  ladies,  and  I  have  given  you  the 
names  of  two  who  are  undoubtedly  ladies,  and  un- 
doubtedly English,  for  neither  of  them  is  an  American 
who  has  married  a  member  of  our  nobility." 

If  ever  fire  flashed  from  a  woman's  eyes,  it  was  upon 
68 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

this    occasion.      Miss    Stretton's    face   seemed   trans- 
formed with  anger. 

"  Sir  J  "  she  flashed,  "  that  last  remark  was  an  insult 
to  my  countrywomen,  and  was  intended  as  such.  I 
bid  you  good-night,  and  I  ask  you  never  to  speak  to  me 
again." 

"  Exactly  as  I  thought,"  said  I ;  "  the  moment  shells 
begin  to  fly,  you  beat  a  retreat." 

Miss  Stretton  had  taken  five  indignant  steps  toward 
the  companion-way  when  my  words  brought  her  to 
a  standstill.  After  a  momentary  pause  she  turned 
around  with  a  proud  motion  of  her  figure  which  elicited 
my  utmost  admiration,  walked  back  to  my  side,  and 
said  very  quietly : 

"  Pardon  me ;  pray  proceed." 

"  I  shall  not  proceed,  but  shall  take  the  liberty  of 
pausing  for  a  moment  to  show  you  the  futility  of  jump- 
ing to  a  conclusion.  Now,  try  to  comprehend.  You 
said,  English  ladies.  My  illustration  would  have  been 
useless  if  the  Countess  and  the  Duchess  had  been 
Americans.  Do  you  comprehend  that,  or  are  you  too 
angry  ?  " 

I  waited  for  a  reply  but  none  came. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  further,"  I  went  on,  "  that  I  know 
several  American  women  who  possess  titles;  and  if 
any  man  in  my  presence  dared  to  hint  that  one  or  other 
of  them  was  not  a  lady  I  should  knock  him  down  if  I 
could,  and  if  no  one  but  men  were  about.  So  you  see 
I  was  throwing  no  disparagement  on  your  country- 
women, but  was  merely  clenching  my  argument  on  the 
lines  you  yourself  had  laid  down." 

69 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  see ;  I  apologize.  Pray  go  on  with  the  lec- 
ture." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  permission,  and  on  your  part 
please  forgive  any  unnecessary  vehemence  which  I 
have  imported  into  what  should  be  a  calm  philosophical 
pronouncement.  When  you  accuse  an  Englishman  of 
violating  some  rule  of  etiquette,  he  is  prone  to  resent 
such  an  imputation,  partly  because  he  has  an  uneasy 
feeling  that  it  may  be  true.  He  himself  admits  that 
nearly  every  other  nation  excels  his  in  the  arts  of 
politeness.  It  is  really  not  at  all  to  his  discredit  that 
he  fondly  hopes  he  has  qualities  of  heart  and  innate 
courtesy  which  perhaps  may  partly  make  up  for  his 
deficiency  in  outward  suavity  of  manner.  Now, 
madam,  etiquette  is  elastic.  It  is  not  an  exact  science, 
like  mathematics.  The  rules  pertaining  to  decimal 
fractions  are  the  same  the  world  over,  but  the  etiquette 
of  the  Court  differs  from  the  etiquette  of  the  drawing- 
room,  and  dry-land  etiquette  differs  from  the  etiquette 
on  board  ship." 

"  I  don't  see  why  it  should,"  interrupted  Miss  Stret- 
ton. 

"  Then,  madam,  it  shall  be  my  privilege  to  explain. 
Imagine  us  cast  on  a  desert  shore.  If,  for  instance, 
our  captain  were  less  worthy  than  he  is,  and  ran  us 
on  the  rocks  of  Quelpaerd  Island,  which  is  some  dis- 
tance ahead  of  us,  you  would  find  that  all  etiquette 
would  disappear." 

"Why?" 

"  Why  ?  Because  we  should  each  have  to  turn 
around  and  mutually  help  the  others.  Whether  I  had 

70 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

been  introduced  to  you  or  not,  I  should  certainly  en- 
deavour to  provide  you  with  food  and  shelter;  where- 
as if  I  contracted  one  of  the  island's  justly  celebrated 
fevers,  your  good  heart  would  prompt  you  to  do  what 
you  could  for  my  restoration.  Now  a  ship  is  but  a 
stepping-stone  between  the  mainland  of  civilization  and 
the  desert  island  of  barbarism.  This  fact,  uncon- 
sciously or  consciously,  seems  to  be  recognized,  and  so 
the  rules  of  etiquette  on  board  ship  relax,  and  I  main- 
tain, with  the  brutal  insistance  of  my  race,  that  I  have 
not  infringed  upon  them." 

"  I  think  that  is  a  very  capital  and  convincing  illus- 
tration, Mr.  Tremorne,"  confessed  the  lady  generously. 

Now,  look  you,  how  vain  a  creature  is  man.  That 
remark  sent  a  glow  of  satisfaction  through  my  being 
such  as  I  had  not  experienced  since  a  speech  of  my 
youth  was  applauded  by  my  fellow-students  at  the 
Union  in  Oxford.  Nevertheless,  I  proceeded  stub- 
bornly with  my  lecture,  which  I  had  not  yet  finished. 

"  Now,  madam,  I  am  goirg  to  give  you  the  oppor- 
tunity to  charge  me  with  inconsistency.  I  strenuously 
object  to  the  application  of  the  term  *  servant '  as  ap- 
plied to  yourself  or  to  me.  I  am  not  a  servant." 

"  But,  Mr.  Tremorne,  you  admitted  it  a  while  ago, 
and  furthermore  said  that  your  distinguished  cousin 
would  also  have  confessed  as  much  if  in  your  place." 

"  I  know  I  said  so ;  but  that  was  before  the  veneer 
fell  away." 

"  Then  what  becomes  of  the  candour  of  which  you 
boasted  ?  Has  it  gone  with  the  veneer  ?  " 

"  They  are  keeping  each  other  company  on  the  ocean 

71 


some  miles  behind  us.  I  have  thrown  them  over- 
board." 

Miss  Stretton  laughed  with  rather  more  of  hearti- 
ness than  she  had  yet  exhibited. 

"  Well,  I  declare,"  she  cried ;  "  this  is  a  transforma- 
tion scene,  all  in  the  moonlight !  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  Mr.  Hemster's  servant.  Mr.  Hem- 
ster  desires  to  use  my  knowledge  of  the  Eastern  lan- 
guages and  my  experience  in  Oriental  diplomacy. 
For  this  he  has  engaged  to  pay,  but  I  am  no  more  his 
servant  than  Sir  Edward  Clark  is  a  menial  to  the  client 
who  pays  him  for  the  knowledge  he  possesses ;  and, 
if  you  will  permit  me  the  English  brag,  which  you 
utilized  a  little  while  since,  I  say  I  am  a  gentleman  and 
therefore  the  equal  of  Mr.  Silas  K.  Hemster,  or  any  one 
else." 

"  You  mean  superior,  and  not  equal." 

"  Madam,  with  all  due  respect,  I  mean  nothing  of 
the  sort." 

"  Nevertheless,  that  is  what  is  in  your  mind  and  in 
your  manner.  By  the  way,  is  your  lecture  com- 
pleted?" 

"  Yes,  entirely  so.  It  is  your  innings  now.  You 
have  the  floor,  or  the  deck  rather." 

"  Then  I  should  like  to  say  that  Silas  K.  Hemster, 
as  you  call  him,  is  one  of  the  truest  gentlemen  that 
ever  lived." 

"Is n't  that  his  name?" 

"  You  were  perfectly  accurate  in  naming  him,  but 
you  were  certainly  supercilious  in  the  tone  in  which 
you  named  him." 

72 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"Oh,  I  say!" 

"  No,  you  don't ;  it  is  my  say,  if  you  please." 

"  Certainly,  certainly ;  but  at  first  you  try  to  make 
me  out  a  conceited  ass,  and  now  you  endeavour  to  show 
that  I  am  an  irredeemable  cad.  I  have  the  utmost  re- 
spect for  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Have  you  ?  Well,  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,  and  I 
wish  to  give  you  a  firmer  basis  for  that  opinion  than 
you  have  been  able  to  form  from  your  own  observation. 
Mr.  Hemster  may  not  be  learned  in  books,  but  he  is 
learned  in  human  nature.  He  is  the  best  of  men,  kind, 
considerate,  and  always  just.  He  was  a  lifelong  friend 
of  my  father,  now,  alas,  no  more  in  life.  They  were 
schoolboys  together.  It  was  inevitable  that  Mr.  Hem- 
ster should  become  very  wealthy,  and  equally  inevitable 
that  my  father  should  remain  poor.  My  father  was  a 
dreamy  scholar,  and  I  think  you  will  admit  that  he 
was  a  gentleman,  for  he  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  was  not  of  the  money-making  order 
of  men,  and,  if  he  had  been,  his  profession  would  have 
precluded  him  from  becoming  what  Mr.  Hemster  is. 
Although  Mr.  Hemster  grew  very  rich,  it  never  in  the 
least  interfered  with  his  friendship  for  my  father  nor 
with  his  generosity  to  my  father's  child.  If  I  cared  to 
accept  that  generosity  it  would  be  unstinted.  As  it  is, 
he  pays  me  much  more  than  I  am  worth.  He  is  simple 
and  honest,  patient  and  kind.  Patient  and  kind,"  she 
repeated,  with  a  little  tremor  of  the  voice  that  for  a 
moment  checked  her  utterance, —  "  a  true  gentleman, 
if  ever  there  was  one." 

"  My  dear  Miss  Stretton,"  I  said,  "  what  you  say  of 

73 


him  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  both  yourself  and  Mr. 
Hemster ;  but  it  distresses  me  that  you  should  intimate 
that  I  have  failed  to  appreciate  him.  He  has  picked 
me  up,  as  I  might  say,  from  the  gutters  of  Nagasaki 
without  even  a  line  of  recommendation  or  so  much  as 
a  note  of  introduction." 

"  That  is  what  I  said  to  you;  he  is  a  judge  of  men 
rather  than  of  literature  and  the  arts ;  and  it  is  entirely 
to  your  credit  that  he  has  taken  you  without  credentials. 
You  may  be  sure,  were  it  otherwise,  I  should  not  have 
spent  so  much  time  with  you  as  I  have  done  this  even- 
ing. But  his  quick  choice  should  have  given  you  a 
better  insight  into  his  character  than  that  which  you 
possess  ?  " 

"  There  you  go  again,  Miss  Stretton.  What  have 
I  said  or  done  which  leads  you  to  suppose  I  do  not  re- 
gard Mr.  Hemster  with  the  utmost  respect  ?" 

"  It  is  something  exceedingly  difficult  to  define.  It 
cannot  be  set  down  as  lucidly  as  your  exposition  of 
etiquette.  It  was  your  air,  rather  than  your  manner 
at  luncheon  time.  It  was  a  very  distant  and  exalted 
air,  which  said  as  plainly  as  words  that  you  sat  down 
with  a  company  inferior  to  yourself." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  aloud ;  the  explanation  was 
absolutely  absurd. 

"  Why,  my  dear  Miss  Stretton,  if  I  may  call  you  so, 
you  never  even  glanced  at  me  during  luncheon  time; 
how,  then,  did  you  get  such  extraordinary  notions  into 
your  head  ?  " 

"  One  did  not  need  to  glance  at  you  to  learn  what  I 
have  stated.  Now,  during  our  conversation  you  have 

74 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

been  frightened — no,  that  is  not  the  word — you  have 
been  surprised  —  into  a  verbal  honesty  that  has  been 
unusual  to  you.  Please  make  the  confession  complete, 
and  admit  that  in  your  own  mind  you  have  not  done 
justice  to  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Miss  Stretton,  the  word  you  have  been  searching 
for  is  '  bluff.'  I  have  been  bluffed  into  confessions, 
before  now,  which  in  my  calmer  moments  I  regretted. 
You  see  I  have  been  in  America  myself,  and  '  bluff '  is 
an  exceedingly  expressive  word.  And,  madam,  permit 
me  to  say  that  in  this  instance  the  bluff  will  not  work. 
You  cannot  get  me  to  admit  that  either  by  look  or  tone 
I  think  anything  but  what  is  admirable  of  Mr.  Hem- 
ster." 

"  Oh,  dear,  oh,  dear !  "  cried  the  girl  in  mock  despair. 
It  was  really  wonderful  how  unconsciously  friendly 
she  had  become  after  our  tempestuous  discussion. 
"  Oh,  dear,  oh,  dear !  how  you  are  fallen  from  the  state 
of  generous  exaltation  that  distinguished  you  but  a 
short  time  ago.  Please  search  the  innermost  recesses 
of  your  mind,  and  tell  me  if  you  do  not  find  there  some- 
thing remotely  resembling  contempt  for  a  man  who 
accepted  you  —  appalling  thought!  —  without  even  a 
note  of  introduction." 

"  Very  well,  my  lady,  I  shall  make  the  search  you 
recommend.  Now  we  will  walk  quietly  up  and  down 
the  deck  without  a  word  being  said  by  either  of  us, 
and  during  that  time  I  shall  explore  those  recesses  of 
my  mind,  which  no  doubt  you  regard  as  veritable 
'  chambers  of  horrors.'  " 

We  walked  together  under  the  bridge,  and  then  to 

75 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  very  stern  of  the  ship,  coming  back  to  the  bridge 
again.  As  we  turned,  the  lady  by  my  side  broke  the 
contract. 

"  Oh ! "  she  cried  with  a  little  gasp,  "  there  is  Miss 
Hemster !  " — and  I  saw  the  lady  she  mentioned  emerge 
from  the  companion-way  to  the  deck. 

"  Damnation !  "  I  muttered,  under  my  breath,  forget- 
ting for  an  instant  in  whose  presence  I  stood,  until  she 
turned  her  face  full  upon  me. 

"  I — I  beg  your  pardon  most  sincerely,"  I  stam- 
mered. 

"  And  I  grant  it  with  equal  sincerity,"  she  whispered, 
with  a  slight  laugh,  which  struck  me  as  rather  remark- 
able, for  she  had  previously  become  deeply  offended  at 
sayings  much  milder  than  my  surprised  ejaculation. 


CHAPTER   VII 

WE  were  sailing  due  west,  so  that  the  full 
moon  partly  revealed  the  side  face  of  the 
figure  approaching  us,  and  I  venture  to 
assert  that  the  old  moon,  satellite  of  lovers,  never 
shone  upon  anything  more  graceful  than  the  vision  we 
now  beheld.  Man  as  I  was,  I  knew  intuitively  that  she 
was  dressed  with  a  perfection  far  beyond  my  powers 
of  description.  The  partly  revealed  face  wore  an  ex- 
pression of  childlike  simplicity  and  innocence,  with  all 
of  a  mature  woman's  exquisite  beauty.  No  frowns 
now  marred  that  smooth  brow;  the  daintily  chiseled 
lips  were  animated  by  a  smile  of  supreme  loveliness. 

"  What  a  perfectly  enchanting  night !  "  she  cried,  as 
she  came  to  a  standstill  before  us.  "  But  don't  you 
think  it  is  a  trifle  chilly?" — and  a  slight  shiver  vi- 
brated her  frame.  "  But  I  suppose  you  have  been  en- 
ergetically walking,  and  therefore  have  not  noticed  the 
change  of  temperature.  Oh,  Hilda,  darling,  would  you 
mind  running  down  to  my  room  and  bringing  up  that 
light  fleecy  wrap,  which  I  can  thrown  over  my 
shoulders  ?  " 

"  I  will  bring  it  at  once,"  replied  Miss  Stretton,  has- 
tening toward  the  companion-way.  Just  as  she  reached 

77 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  head  of  the  stair  a  ripple  of  tinkling  laughter  added 
music  to  the  night. 

"  Dear  me,  how  stupid  I  am !  "  cried  Miss  Hemster, 
"  Why,  Hilda,  I  have  it  here  on  my  arm  all  the  time ! 
Don't  bother,  darling !  " 

Miss  Stretton  paused  for  a  moment,  then  said, 
"  Good-night !  "  and  disappeared  down  the  stairway. 

Man  is  a  stupid  animal.  I  did  not  know  at  the  mo- 
ment, nor  did  I  learn  until  long  after, —  and  even  then 
it  was  a  lady  who  told  me, —  that  this  was  a  sweet  dis- 
missal, as  effective  as  it  was  unperceived  by  myself. 

Miss  Hemster  busied  herself  with  the  fleecy  wrap, 
whose  folds  proved  so  unmanageable  that  I  ventured 
to  offer  my  aid  and  finally  adjusted  the  fabric  upon  her 
shapely  shoulders.  We  began  walking  up  and  down 
the  deck,  she  regulating  her  step  to  mine,  and,  in  the 
friendly  manner  of  yesterday  afternoon,  placing  her 
hand  within  my  arm. 

However,  she  did  not  hop  and  skip  along  the  deck 
as  she  had  done  on  the  streets  of  Nagasaki,  although  I 
should  have  thought  the  smooth  white  boards  offered 
an  almost  irresistible  temptation  to  one  who  had  shown 
herself  to  be  bubbling  over  with  the  joy  of  youth  and 
life.  Notwithstanding  the  taking  of  my  arm,  she  held 
herself  with  great  dignity,  her  head  erect  and  almost 
thrown  back,  so  I  expected  to  be  treated  to  a  new  phase 
of  her  most  interesting  character.  I  was  finding  it 
somewhat  bewildering,  and  hardly  knew  how  to  begin 
the  conversation;  but  whether  it  was  the  springing 
step,  or  the  smoothness  of  the  deck,  or  both  combined, 
it  struck  me  all  at  once  that  she  must  be  a  superb 

78 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

dancer,  and  I  was  about  to  make  inquiry  as  to  this  when 
she  withdrew  her  hand  rather  quickly  after  we  had 
taken  two  or  three  turns  up  and  down  the  deck  in 
silence,  and  said: 

"  You  are  not  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
I  have  been  kind  enough  to  present  to  you." 

"  What  opportunity  ?  "  I  asked  in  amazement. 

"  The  opportunity  to  apologize  to  me." 

"  To  apologize  ?  "  cried  I,  still  more  at  a  loss  to  un- 
derstand her  meaning.  "  Pray,  for  what  should  I  apol- 
ogize ?  " 

She  said  with  great  decision  and  some  impatience : 

"  How  terribly  dense  you  Englishmen  are ! " 

"  Yes,  I  admit  it.  We  are  celebrated  as  a  nation  for 
obtuseness.  But  won't  you  take  pity  on  this  particular 
Englishman,  and  enlighten  him  regarding  his  offence. 
What  should  I  apologize  for  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  told  my  father  you  were  not  a  friend  of 
the  Mikado ! " 

"  Certainly  I  told  him  so.  I  am  not  a  friend  of  the 
Mikado ;  therefore  why  should  I  claim  to  be  ?  " 

"  Oh !  "  she  cried,  with  a  fine  gesture  of  disdain, 
"  you  are  trying  to  do  the  George  Washington  act ! " 

"  The  George  Washington  act !  "  I  repeated. 

"  Certainly.  Of  course  you  don't  see  that.  He  could 
not  tell  a  lie,  you  know." 

"  Ah,  I  understand  you.  No,  I  am  doing  the  Mark 
Twain  act.  I  can  tell  a  lie,  but  I  won't." 

"  Not  even  for  me  ?  "  she  asked,  looking  up  at  me 
with  that  winning  smile  of  hers. 

"  Ah,  when  you  put  it  that  way  I  fear  I  shall  be  un- 

79 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

able  to  emulate  the  truthfulness  of  either  George  or 
Mark." 

"  Now  that  is  n't  so  bad/'  she  said,  taking  my  arm 
again,  which  gave  me  the  hope  that  I  had  been  at  least 
partially  restored  to  favour. 

"  You  certainly  intimated  to  me  yesterday  that  you 
were  a  friend  of  the  Mikado." 

"  Then  I  am  to  blame ;  for  with  equal  certainty  I 
had  no  right  to  do  so." 

"  You  said  you  had  seen  him  several  times  and  had 
spoken  with  him." 

"  Yes,  but  that  does  not  constitute  a  claim  upon  His 
Majesty's  consideration." 

"  Why,  you  have  only  seen  me  two  or  three  times, 
and  I  am  sure  you  know  I  'm  a  friend  of  yours." 

"  Madam,  I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  so.  If  the 
Mikado  had  made  a  similar  statement,  I  should  claim 
him  as  a  friend  before  all  the  world." 

"  Then  there  was  another  thing  you  said,  and  I  sup- 
pose you  '11  go  back  on  that,  too.  You  said  you  were  a 
partisan  of  mine,  or,  since  you  are  such  a  stickler  for 
accuracy,  an  adherent — I  think  that  was  the  word — 
yes,  you  were  my  adherent,  or  retainer,  or  something 
of  the  sort,  such  as  we  read  of  in  old-fashioned  novels, 
and  when  you  said  so,  poor  little  trustful  girl  that  I  am, 
I  believed  you." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Hemster,  you  had  every  right  to  do 
so.  Should  occasion  arise,  you  will  find  me  your 
staunch  defender." 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  very  pretty ;  but  when  it  comes  to 
the  test,  then  you  fail.  You  heard  what  my  father  said. 

80 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

You  must  have  known  I  meant  you  to  claim  friendship 
with  the  Mikado.  Poor  father 's  as  transparent  as 
glass,  and  he  surely  made  it  as  plain  as  this  funnel  that 
I  wished  you  to  claim  friendship  with  the  head  of  the 
Japanese  nation.  So,  after  all  your  beautiful  promises, 
the  moment  you  get  a  chance  to  back  me  up,  you  do  so 
by  going  back  on  me." 

"  My  dear  Miss  Hemster,  why  did  you  not  give  me 
a  hint  of  your  wishes?  If,  when  we  were  in  Nagasaki, 
you  had  but  said  that  you  wished  me  to  proclaim  my- 
self the  Emperor's  brother,  I  should  have  perjured 
myself  on  your  behalf  like  a  gentleman." 

"  It  happened  that  I  was  not  on  deck  when  you  came 
aboard,  and  so  did  not  see  you.  But  I  do  think,  if  you 
had  n't  forgotten  me  entirely,  you  would  have  learned 
at  once  from  my  father's  talk  what  I  wished  you  to 
say." 

"  Yes,  I  see  it  all  now,  when  it  is  too  late ;  but  as  you 
have  remarked,  and  as  I  have  admitted,  I  am  extremely 
dense,  and  unless  a  thing  is  as  plain  as  the  funnel — to 
use  your  own  simile — I  am  very  apt  to  overlook  it. 
Sometimes  I  don't  see  it  even  then.  For  instance, 
when  you  are  walking  by  my  side,  I  am  just  as  likely  to 
run  into  the  funnel  as  to  walk  past  it." 

She  laughed  most  good  naturedly  at  this  observa- 
tion, and  replied: 

"  Oh,  you  do  say  things  very  charmingly,  and  I  will 
forgive  you,  even  if  you  refuse  to  apologize." 

"  But  I  don't  refuse  to  apologize.  I  do  apologize — 
most  abjectly — for  my  stupidity." 

"  Oh,  well,  that 's  all  right.  Perhaps,  when  every- 
81 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

thing  's  said  and  done,  it  was  my  own  fault  in  not  giv- 
ing you  warning.  Next  time  I  want  you  to  stand  by 
me,  I  '11  have  it  all  typewritten  nice  and  plain,  and  will 
hand  the  paper  to  you  twenty-four  hours  ahead." 

"  That  would  be  very  kind  of  you,  Miss  Hemster ; 
and,  besides,  you  would  then  possess  documentary  evi- 
dence of  the  stupidity  of  an  Englishman." 

"  Oh,  we  don't  need  to  have  documentary  evidence 
for  that,"  she  replied  brightly ;  "  but  I  tell  you  I  was 
mad  clear  through  when  I  knew  what  you  had  said  to 
my  father.  I  raised  storm  enough  to  sink  the  yacht." 

"Did  you?" 

"  Did  n't  I?    Why,  you  knew  I  did." 

"  I  had  n't  the  slightest  suspicion  of  it." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  are  denser  than  I  thought.  And  I 
have  been  worrying  myself  all  the  afternoon  for  fear 
you  were  offended  by  the  way  I  told  you  to  take  your 
seat  at  the  table." 

"  Offended  ?  I  should  n't  have  had  the  presumption 
to  think  of  such  a  thing.  Indeed,  it  was  very  kind  of 
you  to  indicate  my  place.  Such  instructions  are  usu- 
ally given  by  the  steward." 

She  bestowed  a  sly,  sidelong  glance  upon  me,  and 
there  was  a  somewhat  uncertain  smile  at  the  corners  of 
her  pretty  lips. 

"  Is  that  a  little  dig  at  me  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Nothing  of  the  sort.  It  was  a  mere  statement  of 
fact." 

"  Sometimes  I  think,"  she  said  meditatively,  more  to 
herself  than  to  me,  "  that  you  are  not  such  a  fool  as 
you  look." 

82 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  was  compelled  to  laugh  at  this,  and  replied  with  as 
much  urbanity  as  I  could  call  to  my  command : 

"  I  am  overjoyed  to  hear  that  statement.  It  seems 
to  prove  that  I  am  making  progress.  Such  evidence 
always  encourages  a  man." 

"  Oh,  well,"  she  said,  with  a  shrug  of  impatience, 
"  don't  let 's  talk  any  more  about  it.  I  did  n't  want  to 
go  to  Corea,  and  I  did  want  to  return  to  Yokohama; 
so  here  we  are  going  to  Corea.  Don't  you  think  I  am 
a  very  good-natured  girl  to  let  bygones  be  bygones  so 
easily  ?  " 

"  You  certainly  are." 

"  Then  that 's  settled.  Tell  me  what  Miss  Stretton 
was  talking  to  you  about." 

I  was  somewhat  taken  aback  by  this  extraordinary 
request,  but  replied  easily: 

"  Oh,  we  had  not  been  walking  the  deck  very  long, 
and  we  discussed  nothing  of  extreme  importance  so  far 
as  I  can  remember." 

"  What  did  she  say  about  me?  " 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Hemster,  your  name  was  not 
mentioned  between  us." 

"  Really  ?    Then  what  on  earth  did  you  talk  about  ?  " 

"  When  I  have  the  good  fortune  to  be  in  your  pres- 
ence, Miss  Hemster,  I  confess  it  seems  impossible  that 
I  should  talk  about  anyone  else  than  yourself,  never- 
theless I  should  not  presume  to  discuss  one  lady  with 
another." 

The  girl  jerked  away  her  arm  again,  and  turned  to 
me  with  a  flash  in  her  eyes  that  was  somewhat  discon- 
certing. 

83 


"  Look  here,  Mr.  Tremorne,"  she  cried,  "  if  you  've 
got  anything  to  say  against  me,  I  want  you  to  say  it 
right  out  like  a  man,  and  not  to  hint  at  it  like  a  spiteful 
woman." 

"  What  have  I  said  now?  "    I  inquired  very  humbly. 

"  You  know  quite  well  what  you  have  said.  But  if 
you  imagine  I  am  as  stupid  as  you  admit  yourself  to  be, 
you '11  get  left!" 

"  My  dear  madam,"  I  ventured ;  "  one  of  the  advan- 
tages of  having  a  thick  skin  is  that  a  person  does  not 
take  offence  where  no  offence  h  meant." 

"  There  you  go  again !  You  know  very  well  that 
you  were  driving  at  me  when  you  said  that  you  refused 
to  discuss  one  lady  with  another;  because,  if  you 
meant  anything  at  all,  you  meant  that  I  was  trying  to 
do  what  you  could  n't  bring  yourself  to  do ;  and  when 
you  talk  of  '  lady '  and  '  lady  '  you  are  in  effect  putting 
Miss  Stretton  on  an  equality  with  me." 

"  I  should  never  think  of  doing  so,"  I  replied,  with  a 
bow  to  the  angry  person  beside  me. 

"  Is  that  another?  "  she  demanded.  "  Oh,  you  know 
very  well  what  I  mean.  Do  you  consider  Miss  Stret- 
ton a  lady?" 

"  My  acquaintance  with  her  is  of  the  shortest,  yet  I 
should  certainly  call  her  a  lady." 

"  Then  what  do  you  call  me  ?  " 

"  A  lady  also." 

"  Well,  if  that  is  n't  putting  us  on  an  equality,  what 
is?" 

"  I  said,  madam,  that  7  did  not  put  you  on  an  equal- 
ity. That  was  done  by  a  celebrated  document  which 

84 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

you  often  fling  in  our  faces.  I  refer  to  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  which,  if  I  remember  rightly, 
begins — '  All  men  are  created  equal/  and  I  suppose, 
as  the  humourist  puts  it,  that  the  men  embrace  the 
women." 

"  Miss  Stretton  is  my  paid  servant,"  insisted  Miss 
Hemster,  evading  the  point ;  "  and,  as  was  said  in  the 
opera  of  '  Pinafore,'  when  one  person  has  to  obey  the 
orders  of  another,  equality  is  out  of  the  question." 

"  I  did  n't  think  that  made  any  difference  in  the 
United  States." 

"  But  this  is  n't  the  United  States." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  this  is  the  United  States. 
We  are  on  the  high  seas,  aboard  a  steamer  that  is  regis- 
tered in  New  York,  and  so  this  deck  is  just  as  much  a 
part  of  your  country  as  is  Ne-  York  itself,  and  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  would  justify  the  captain  in 
putting  me  in  irons  if  he  thought  my  conduct  deserved 
such  treatment." 

"  Then  you  refuse  to  tell  me  what  you  and  Miss 
Stretton  were  discussing !  " 

"  My  dear  madam,  if  Miss  Stretton  asked  me  what 
you  and  I  were  discussing,  I  should  certainly  refuse  to 
inform  her.  Should  I  not  be  justified  in  doing  so?  I 
leave  it  to  yourself.  Would  you  be  pleased  if  I  repeat- 
ed our  conversation  to  Miss  Stretton?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  I  should  mind,"  replied 
Miss  Hemster  mildly,  the  storm  subsiding  as  quickly  as 
it  had  risen ;  "  I  have  no  doubt  she  told  you  that  her 
father  was  a  clergyman,  and  that  my  father  had  bor- 
rowed five  hundred  dollars  from  her  father  to  get  his 

85 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

start  in  life.  And  she  doubtless  hinted  that  her  father 
was  the  founder  of  our  fortune." 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Hemster,  that  she  said  nothing 
at  all  about  five  hundred  dollars  or  any  other  sum.  She 
spoke  mostly  of  your  father,  and  she  spoke  very  highly 
of  him." 

''  She  certainly  had  every  right  to  do  so.  My  father 
gave  her  what  education  she  has  and  supported  her 
ever  since." 

I  made  no  comment  upon  this  statement,  and  my 
companion  veered  round  a  bit  and  said  brightly : 

"  Oh,  I  see  you  don't  like  me  to  talk  like  that,  and 
perhaps  I  should  n't,  but  Hilda  Stretton  is  as  sly  as 
they  make  them,  and  I  've  no  doubt  she  came  on  deck 
just  to  size  you  up,  while  you  would  never  suspect  it." 

"  I  venture  to  think  you  do  the  young  lady  an  injus- 
tice, Miss  Hemster.  I  am  sure  she  would  have  pre- 
ferred to  walk  the  deck  alone,  although  she  was  too 
polite  to  say  so.  I  rather  fear  I  forced  my  company 
upon  her." 

"  Oh,  yes,  oh,  yes ;  I  understand  all  about  that.  Such 
is  just  the  impression  Hilda  Stretton  would  like  to 
make  upon  a  man.  Now  I  am  honest.  I  came  on  deck 
purposely  to  have  a  talk  with  you." 

"  Then  I  am  very  much  flattered." 

"  Well,  you  ought  to  be,  and  I  may  say  this  for  you, 
that  you  don't  talk  to  me  in  the  least  as  other  men  do. 
Nobody  has  ever  dared  to  contradict  me." 

"  Have  I  done  so  ?  You  shock  me,  for  I  certainly 
did  not  intend  to  contradict  you." 

"  Why,  you  have  done  nothing  else,  and  I  don't 
86 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

think  it 's  gentlemanly  at  all.  But  we  '11  let  that  go. 
Now  I  wish  to  talk  about  yourself." 

"  Well,  I  think  we  might  choose  a  more  entertaining 
topic." 

"  We  '11  talk  about  Lord  Tremorne  then." 

"  Hang  Lord  Tremorne !  " 

"  Ah,  Miss  Stretton  and  you  were  discussing  him 
then?" 

"  Indeed  we  were  not,  but  I  am  rather  tired  of  the 
gentleman.  Yet  he  is  a  very  good  fellow,  and  I  ought 
not  to  say  '  Hang  him ! '  even  if  I  am  on  the  high  seas. 
I  am  sure  I  wish  him  nothing  but  good." 

"  If  he  were  to  die,  would  you  become  Lord  Tre- 
morne ?  " 

"Bless  me,  no!" 

"  Who  stands  between  you  ?  " 

"  His  three  sons,  who  are  very  healthy  specimens  of 
humanity,  I  am  glad  to  say." 

"  Is  n't  there  ever  any  possibility  of  your  becoming 
Lord  Tremorne,  then  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  's  a  possibility  of  anything,  but  no  prob- 
ability. I  may  say  quite  truthfully  that  no  one  would 
be  so  sorry  as  I  if  the  probability  occurred." 

"  Don't  you  want  to  have  a  title  ?  " 

"  I  would  n't  give  twopence  for  it." 

"Really?  I  thought  every  one  in  England  wanted 
a  title?" 

"  Dear  me,  noT  There  are  men  in  England,  plain 
Mr.  This  or  Thats  who  would  n't  change  their  appel- 
lation for  the  highest  title  that  could  be  offered  them." 

"Why?" 

87 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Oh,  they  belong  to  fine  old  families  and  look  upon 
the  newer  aristocracy  as  upstarts." 

"  It  seems  funny  to  talk  of  old  families,  for  all  fami- 
lies are  the  same  age.  We  all  spring  from  Adam,  I 
suppose." 

"  Doubtless,  but  I  believe  the  College  of  Arms  does 
not  admit  such  a  contention." 

"  Don't  you  think  family  pride  a  very  idiotic 
thing?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  n't 
thought  very  much  about  it,  though  I  don't  see  why 
we  should  parade  the  pedigree  of  a  horse  and  be 
ashamed  of  the  pedigree  of  a  man." 

"  It  is  n't  the  same  thing.  A  horse  may  have  notable 
ancestors,  whereas  I  am  told  that  most  of  your  aris- 
tocracy sprang  from  thieves  and  outlaws." 

"  As  far  as  that  goes,  some  of  them  are  still  in  the 
pirate  profession,  those  who  belong  to  the  public  com- 
panies, for  example, —  bogus  companies,  I  mean.  I 
suppose,  after  all  said  and  done,  that  the  pedigree  of 
even  the  oldest  family  in  Europe  is  as  nothing  to  that 
of  the  Eastern  Kings,  for  this  King  of  Corea  that  we 
are  going  to  see  traces  his  ancestry  about  as  far  back 
as  did  Pooh-Bah." 

"  Do  you  think  there  will  be  any  trouble  in  getting 
to  see  his  Corean  Majesty? "  Miss  Hemster  asked  with 
a  shade  of  anxiety  in  her  tone. 

"  I  am  not  at  all  sure,  for  the  etiquette  of  the  Corean 
Court  is  very  rigid.  A  horseman  must  dismount  when 
he  is  passing  the  Palace,  although  it  is  but  a  ram- 
shackle conglomeration  of  shabbiness.  Every  one  ad- 

88 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

mitted  to  the  Presence  must  prostrate  himself  before 
the  King." 

"  Well,  I  shan't  do  it,"  said  the  girl  confidently. 

"  I  hope  to  obtain  a  relaxation  of  the  rule  in  the  case 
of  a  Princess  like  yourself,  Miss  Hemster.  If  his  Ma- 
jesty should  graciously  touch  your  hand,  the  law  of 
Corea  demands  that  ever  afterward  you  must  wear  a 
badge  as  token  of  the  distinction  conferred  upon  you." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  just  wear  another  ring  with  the  arms  of 
Corea  on  it, — that  is,  if  Corea  has  arms," — said  Miss 
Hemster  with  vivacity.  "  I  am  sure  it  is  very  good  of 
you  to  take  all  this  trouble  for  us.  And  now  I  must 
bid  you  good-night  and  thank  you  for  the  very  pleasant 
walk  we  have  had  together." 

With  that  my  lady  withdrew  her  bright  presence  and 
disappeared  down  the  companion-way. 


89 


CHAPTER   VIII 

I  A  WOKE  next  morning  after  a  sweet  and  dream- 
less sleep  that  was  almost  inspiring.  Months 
and  months  had  passed  since  I  slept  in  a  Eu- 
ropean bed,  and,  although  necessity  had  accustomed 
me  to  the  habit  of  a  Japanese  mat  upon  the  floor  and 
a  block  of  wood  for  a  pillow,  I  must  confess  that  the 
bed  of  the  West  still  seemed  to  me  a  very  paradise  of 
luxury.  There  were  more  patent  contrivances  about 
that  yacht  than  I  have  ever  seen  in  such  small  compass 
before.  Of  course  it  had  electric  lights  everywhere. 
There  was  a  water-condensing  machine,  an  ice-making 
machine,  and  all  the  usual  fittings  that  now  go  to  the 
construction  of  a  luxurious  steamer  for  sailing  in  warm 
latitudes.  There  was  a  bathroom  which  was  Oriental  in 
its  splendour  and  Occidental  in  its  patent  fittings.  One 
could  have  any  sort  of  bath  that  one  desired.  By  sim- 
ply turning  a  handle  on  a  dial  the  great  marble  basin 
became  filled  with  water  at  any  temperature  indi- 
cated by  the  figures  at  which  you  set  the  pointer,  from 
boiling-hot  to  ice-cold.  This  was  indeed  a  delight,  and 
when  I  came  to  it  from  my  room  in  dressing-gown 
and  slippers  I  found  the  Japanese  boy  there  with  a  cup 
of  delicious  tea  such  as  can  be  had  only  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  China.  On  a  dainty  plate  whose  figure 

90 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

work  was  only  partially  obscured  by  a  filmy  lace  nap- 
kin were  some  finger-lengths  and  finger-widths  of  but- 
tered toast.  "  Rupert,  my  boy,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  you 
have  indeed  fallen  upon  your  feet !  " 

I  now  knew  that  I  was  going  to  have  the  pleasantest 
voyage  of  my  life.  The  clouds  which  yesterday  threat- 
ened to  obscure  my  acquaintance  with  Miss  Hemster 
had  cleared  away,  and  although  I  had  surmised  that 
the  young  woman  was  somewhat  quick  to  take  offence 
when  one  approached  the  confines  of  either  ridicule  or 
criticism,  yet  I  was  well  aware  that  no  man  has  a  right 
to  inflict  conversation  that  is  distasteful  upon  any 
woman,  and  I  thought  I  had  sufficient  power  over  my 
speech  to  prevent  further  errors  in  that  direction.  A 
most  unaccustomed  sense  of  elation  filled  me,  and,  as  I 
tossed  about  my  wardrobe,  I  came  across  a  pair  of  Ox- 
ford bags  that  I  had  not  worn  for  years.  As  they  were 
still  spotlessly  white,  I  put  them  on,  with  a  blazer 
which  gave  to  the  world  the  somewhat  glaring  colors 
of  my  college,  and,  thus  gloriously  arrayed  with  cap  on 
head,  I  almost  imagined  myself  about  to  stroll  along 
the  High,  once  more  an  extremely  young  man. 

My  costume  made  quite  a  sensation  at  the  breakfast- 
table,  and  caused  great  laughter  on  the  part  of  our 
worthy  captain,  who  said  the  only  thing  it  reminded 
him  of  was  a  clown  in  Barnum's  circus.  Miss  Hem- 
ster was  good  enough  to  compliment  the  outfit,  and, 
after  the  meal  was  over,  did  me  the  honour  of  strolling 
up  and  down  the  deck  for  nearly  an  hour,  after  which 
she  disappeared  below.  Silas  K.  Hemster  occupied  his 
customary  place  on  deck  in  the  wicker  armchair,  and 

91 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

after  his  daughter  had  deserted  me  I  stood  beside  him 
for  a  few  moments,  endeavouring  to  engage  him  in 
conversation,  but  soon  saw  that  he  preferred  his  own 
thoughts,  for  which  preference,  to  be  sure,  I  could  find 
no  fault  with  him,  for  anything  I  had  to  say  was 
neither  novel  nor  entertaining.  I  was  about  to  go 
below  and  select  a  book  from  the  rather  extensive 
library  when  there  met  me  at  the  head  of  the  compan- 
ion-way the  notes  of  the  very  subdued  playing  of  one  of 
Chopin's  most  charming  nocturnes.  I  paused  for  a 
moment  at  the  head  of  the  stair,  then  descended  softly, 
saying  to  myself  that  Miss  Hemster  was  a  most  ac- 
complished musician. 

Perhaps  I  have  not  stated  that  at  the  farther  end  of 
the  saloon  from  the  foot  of  the  stairs  stood  an  excellent 
piano,  and  at  the  stairway  end  an  equally  fine  Ameri- 
can organ.  As  I  descended  I  soon  saw  that  the  mu- 
sician was  Miss  Stretton,  who  sat  with  her  back 
toward  me,  playing  with  a  touch  I  have  seldom  heard 
equalled  even  by  professionals.  I  am  very  fond  of 
music,  so  I  slipped  quietly  into  a  chair  and  listened  to 
those  divine  harmonies  divinely  played.  Miss  Stretton 
went  on  from  nocturne  to  nocturne,  and  I  felt  some- 
what guilty  at  thus  surreptitiously  listening,  but  re- 
solved that  the  moment  she  gave  a  sign  of  ceasing  I 
would  steal  quietly  up  the  stair  again  without  revealing 
my  presence. 

Down  the  passage  facing  me,  that  formed  a  high- 
way from  the  saloon  to  the  suites  occupied  by  the  la- 
dies, I  saw  Miss  Hemster  come  out  of  her  room,  and, 
by  the  same  token,  she  must  have  seen  me.  She  ad- 

92 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

vanced  a  few  steps,  then  stood  still,  apparently  listen- 
ing to  the  music,  finally  turned,  and  re-entered  her 
apartment  with  a  distinct,  emphatic  slam  of  the  door. 
I  paid  no  attention  to  this,  but  then  was  the  time  for 
me  to  steal  on  deck  again  if  I  had  had  any  wisdom  in 
my  head,  which  I  so  frequently  must  admit  I  have  not. 
Miss  Stretton,  absorbed  in  the  music,  presumably  had 
not  heard  the  slam  of  the  door,  but  a  little  later  Miss 
Hemster  emerged  again,  and  this  time  came  straight 
down  the  passage  and  through  the  saloon,  with  a 
swish,  swish  of  silken  skirts  that  sounded  eloquent  in 
anger.  I  have  never  heard  silk  skirts  rustle  since  then 
without  remembering  the  occasion  I  am  endeavouring 
to  describe ;  yet  never  before  or  since  have  I  heard  the 
hiss  of  silk  that  actually  swore,  if  I  may  be  permitted 
the  use  of  such  an  expression. 

The  young  woman  marched  past  me  with  head  erect, 
and  a  gleam  in  her  eyes  such  as  I  had  seen  on  one 
occasion  before,  but  this  time  fixed  and  anything  but 
transient,  as  the  other  flash  had  been.  I  rose  respect- 
fully to  my  feet  as  she  passed,  but  she  cast  not  even  a 
glance  at  me,  merely  pausing  for  a  second  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs  to  catch  up  the  train  of  her  magnificent 
gown,  then  up  the  steps  she  went  at  a  run.  Now  I  had 
consciously  given  the  girl  no  cause  of  annoyance,  but, 
the  music  having  ceased  suddenly,  I  turned  around  and 
saw  Miss  Stretton  regarding  me  with  something  like 
dismay  in  her  eyes. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  here  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  only  for  a  few  minutes,"  I  replied.  "  Pray  go 
on,  Miss  Stretton.  I  am  very  fond  of  music,  and  not 

93 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

for  years  have  I  been  privileged  to  hear  it  so  well 
played." 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  say  that,"  murmured 
Hilda  Stretton,  "  but  I  think  I  have  played  enough  for 
one  morning." 

"  At  least  finish  the  selection  you  were  just  now  en- 
gaged upon,"  I  begged. 

"  Some  other  time,  please,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice ; 
and  I  did  not  urge  her  further,  for  I  saw  she  was 
frightened. 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied,  "  I  shall  take  that  as  a 
promise." 

She  inclined  her  head  as  she  came  down  the  room, 
and  went  up  the  stairs,  disappearing  also  on  deck,  leav- 
ing me  wondering  what  all  this  disquietude  was  about. 
I  thought  of  going  on  deck  myself,  but,  feeling  slightly 
resentful  at  the  treatment  accorded  me  by  Miss  Hem- 
ster,  I  walked  forward,  sat  down  on  the  piano-stool, 
and  began  to  drum  a  few  of  the  catchy  London  tunes 
that  ran  through  my  head.  I  was  playing  "  Knocked 
'em  in  the  Old  Kent  Road  "  with  little  idea  of  how  ex- 
cellent an  overture  it  would  prove  for  the  act  about 
to  be  commenced,  and  was  thinking  of  the  Strand, 
and  the  Tivoli,  and  Chevalier,  and  Piccadilly  Circus, 
and  the  Empire,  and  Leicester  Square,  and  the  Alham- 
bra,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  woman's  appealing  voice 
crying  just  above  a  whisper : 

"  Oh,  don't,  Gertie ;  please  don't !  " 

I  turned  my  head  and  saw,  coming  down  the  stair- 
way, Gertrude  Hemster  followed  by  Hilda  Stretton. 
The  latter  was  evidently  almost  on  the  verge  of  tears, 

94 


"  Will  you  stop  your  foolish  pounding  on  my  piano  ?" 

Page  9 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

but  the  face  of  the  former  was  shocking  to  behold.  I 
could  not  have  believed  that  a  countenance  so  beauti- 
ful was  capable  of  being  transformed  into  a  visage  that 
might  have  stood  model  for  a  picture  of  murderous 
wrath. 

"  Will  you  stop  your  foolish  pounding  on  my 
piano?  "  she  cried,  with  a  tremendous  emphasis  on  the 
first  personal  pronoun. 

"  Madam,  I  have  stopped,"  I  replied,  giving  a  soft 
answer  that  failed  to  have  the  supposed  effect. 

"  I  guess  you  think  you  own  the  yacht  and  all  it  con- 
tains, don't  you?  Now,  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  we 
don't  allow  employees  to  conduct  themselves  as  if  they 
were  in  a  bar-room  or  a  drinking-saloon." 

As  she  said  this,  she  strode  once  up  and  down  the 
length  of  the  room. 

"  Madam,"  said  I,  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  and  shall 
never  touch  your  piano  again.  My  only  excuse  is  that 
I  have  been  so  accustomed  to  public  liners,  where  the 
piano  is  free  to  all,  that  for  the  moment  I  forgot 
myself." 

At  this  juncture  Miss  Stretton  was  so  injudicious  as 
to  touch  the  other  on  the  elbow,  apparently  trying  to 
guide  her  into  the  passage  that  led  to  her  room,  but 
Miss  Hemster  whirled  around  like  an  enraged  tigress, 
and  struck  her  companion  a  blow  that  would  have 
landed  on  her  cheek  had  not  the  victim  suddenly  and 
instinctively  raised  an  arm  to  protect  her  face.  Then 
with  the  viciousness  of  a  harridan  of  Drury  Lane  Miss 
Hemster  grasped  the  shrinking  girl  by  the  shoulders, 
and  shook  her  as  a  terrier  does  a  rat,  finally  forcing  her 

95 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

down  into  a  seat  by  the  side  of  the  table.  One  girl's 
face  was  as  white  as  paper,  and  the  other's  nearly  pur- 
ple with  rage.  I  had  intended  to  go  up  on  deck,  but 
paused  for  two  reasons.  First  I  was  afraid  of  in- 
jury to  Miss  Stretton,  and  secondly  the  struggle  took 
place,  if  struggle  it  could  be  called  when  one  was 
entirely  passive,  in  the  midst  of  the  only  route  open 
to  me. 

"  You  dare  to  interfere,  you  little  fool,"  shrieked 
Miss  Hemster.  "  You  that  are  the  cause  of  all  the 
trouble,  with  your  silly  little  ditties — tinkle-tinkle- 
tinkle-tinkle  —  and  I  '11  box  your  ears  for  you  if  you 
dare  stir!" 

"  Madam,"  said  I,  "  you  are  possibly  so  ignorant  as 
not  to  know  that  you  were  listening  to  Chopin's  most 
subtle  harmonies." 

This  had  exactly  the  effect  I  desired,  which  was  to 
turn  her  away  from  the  trembling  girl  whom  she  had 
so  harshly  misused. 

"  Ignorant,  you  puppy !  Have  you  the  gall  to  apply 
such  language  to  me,  looking,  as  you  do,  like  a  monkey 
on  a  stick ;  like  a  doll  that  one  can  buy  at  the  bargain 
counter." 

This  graphic  description  of  my  Oxford  blazer  was 
so  striking  that  in  spite  of  the  seriousness  of  the  case  I 
did  the  one  thing  I  should  not  have  done, — I  laughed. 
The  laugh  was  like  a  spark  to  a  powder-mine,  and 
what  made  the  crisis  worse  was  that  the  old  gentleman 
in  his  armchair  on  deck,  hearing  the  shrieking  voice, 
came  down,  his  face  haggard  with  anxiety. 

"  Gertie,  Gertie ! "  he  cried.  I  would  not  like  to 
96 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

say  the  young  lady  swore,  but  she  came  so  near  it  that 
there  was  but  tissue  paper  between  the  expression  she 
used  and  that  which  an  angry  fish-wife  would  have 
employed.  With  the  quickness  of  light  she  sprang  at 
a  large  Japanese  vase  which  temporarily  decorated  the 
center  of  the  table.  This  she  heaved  up,  and  with  the 
skill  of  a  football  player  flung  it  squarely  at  me.  Now, 
I  have  had  some  experience  on  the  football  field  my- 
self, and  I  caught  that  vase  with  a  dexterity  which 
would  have  evoked  applause  had  any  enthusiast  of  the 
game  happened  to  be  present.  I  suppose  my  placing  of 
this  huge  vase  on  the  top  of  the  piano  was  the  last 
straw,  or  perhaps  it  was  her  father  coming  forward, 
crying  in  a  grief-shaken  voice,  "  Oh,  Gertie,  Gertie, 
my  child,  my  child !  " 

I  was  so  sorry  for  him  that  I  passed  him  and  would 
have  gone  on  deck  out  of  the  way,  but  my  purpose  was 
checked  by  a  startling  incident.  The  young  woman 
had  whisked  open  a  drawer.  I  heard  it  come  clattering 
to  the  floor,  for  she  had  jerked  it  clear  from  its  place ; 
then  there  was  a  scream.  Turning  quickly  around  I 
met  the  blinding  flash  of  a  pistol,  and  heard  behind  me 
the  crash  of  a  splintering  mirror.  The  sound  of  the 
revolver  in  that  contracted  space  was  deafening,  and 
even  through  the  smoke  I  saw  that  my  young  friend 
was  about  to  fire  again.  I  maintain  it  was  not  fear  for 
my  own  life  that  caused  instant  action  on  my  part,  but 
this  infuriated  creature,  who  seemed  to  have  become 
insane  in  her  anger,  faced  three  helpless,  unarmed 
people,  and  whatever  was  to  be  done  had  to  be  done 
quickly.  I  leaped  through  the  air,  and  grasped  her  two 

97 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

wrists  with  an  energetic  clutch  I  daresay  she  had  never 
encountered  before. 

"  Drop  that  revolver !  "  I  cried. 

"  Let  go  my  wrists,  you  beast,"  she  hissed  in  my 
face.  For  answer  I  raised  her  arms  and  brought  them 
down  with  a  force  that  would  have  broken  her  ringers 
with  the  weight  of  the  revolver  if  she  had  not  let  it  go 
clattering  to  the  floor. 

"  You  beast,  you  beast,  you  beast !  "  she  shrieked  at 
me,  as  well  as  her  choking  throat  would  allow  utter- 
ance. I  swung  her  around  a  quarter-circle,  then 
pushed  her  back,  somewhat  rudely  I  fear,  until  she 
sank  down  into  a  chair. 

"  Now,  sit  there  and  cool,"  I  cried,  giving  her  a 
hearty  shake,  so  that  she  should  know  how  it  felt  her- 
self. "  If  you  don't  keep  quiet  I  '11  box  your  ears." 

I  don't  defend  my  action  at  all ;  I  merely  state  that 
I  was  just  as  angry  as  she  was,  and  perhaps  a  little 
more  so. 

"  You  brute,  let  go  of  my  wrists !  I  '11  kill  you  for 
this !  Hilda,  call  the  captain  and  have  this  man  put  in 
irons.  Father,  how  can  you  stand  there  like  a  coward 
and  see  a  beastly  ruffian  use  me  in  this  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Gertie,  Gertie !  "  repeated  the  father  without 
moving. 

She  now  burst  into  a  passionate  flood  of  tears,  and  I 
released  her  wrists,  ready,  however,  to  catch  them 
again  if  she  made  any  motion  to  reach  the  revolver. 

During  this  fierce  if  brief  contest, — it  took  less  time 
in  happening  than  it  requires  in  telling, — Miss  Stret- 
ton  had  been  seated  in  the  chair  upon  which  the  angry 

98 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

woman  had  thrust  her,  and  she  gazed  at  us  in  open- 
eyed  terror.  The  old  man  stood  half  leaning  against 
the  table,  steadying  himself  with  his  hands.  Miss 
Hemster's  fit  of  weeping  was  as  dramatic  as  every- 
thing else  she  did.  It  began  with  a  burst  of  very  angry 
and  genuine  tears,  and  this  storm  passed  through  a 
gamut  of  more  or  less  varying  emotions  until  it  sub- 
sided into  a  hysterical  half-sobbing,  half-gasping  wail 
which  resembled  the  cry  of  the  helpless  child  who  had 
been  tyrannized  over.  It  was  bogusly  pathetic,  but  I 
saw  it  went  straight  to  the  old  man's  heart  and  wrung 
it  with  very  real  agony,  and  this  mean  advantage  which 
I  knew  she  was  taking  of  the  father's  deep  love  for  her 
increased  my  scornful  contempt  for  the  creature.  His 
grief  was  actual  enough,  and  she  was  quite  consciously 
playing  upon  it,  although, — wonderful  actress  that  she 
was, — she  pretended  an  utter  abandon  of  heart-break- 
ing sorrow. 

As  for  me,  I  undoubtedly  felt  myself  the  brute  she 
had  named  me,  and  even  at  that  moment, — much  more 
so  later, — was  shocked  to  find  in  my  own  nature 
depths  of  primeval  savagery  which  had  hitherto  been 
unsuspected.  Seeing,  however,  that  the  worst  of  the 
storm  was  over,  and  that  the  young  woman  would 
make  no  more  attempts  at  gun-firing,  I  replaced  the 
drawer  in  position  and  threw  into  it  its  scattered  former 
contents.  Then  I  picked  up  the  revolver,  saying : 

"  I  will  keep  this,  for  there  is  nothing  more  danger- 
ous than  such  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  a  woman 
who  can't  shoot." 

The  effect  of  this  remark  on  the  drooping  figure 

99 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

was  instantaneous.  She  abruptly  raised  her  tear- 
sodden  face,  which  now  became  crimson  with  a  new 
wave  of  anger. 

"  You  gaping  baboon,"  she  cried,  "  I  can  shoot  a 
great  deal  better  than  you  can ! " 

I  paid  no  heed  to  her,  but,  advising  Mr.  Hemster  to 
lock  up  any  other  firearms  he  might  have  on  board, 
abruptly  left  the  saloon. 


100 


CHAPTER   IX 

I  WALKED  the  deck  alone,  the  revolver  stuck  be- 
tween my  hip  and  my  gaudy  sash,  as  if  I  were  a 
veritable  pirate,  and  doubtless  my  appearance 
was  not  dissimilar  to  some  of  those  nautical  heroes  who 
have  been  terrors  of  the  sea.  A  pirate  more  dissatis- 
fied with  himself  never  trod  a  quarter-deck.  If  there 
had  been  a  plank  at  hand  I  would  willingly  have  walked 
it.  It  was  no  comfort  that  I  despised  the  girl,  for  I 
despised  myself  a  thousand  times  more.  What  right 
had  I  to  interfere  ?  Why  had  I  not  bowed  to  her  when 
she  ordered  me  away  from  the  piano,  and  come  at  once 
on  deck,  without  proffering  any  of  my  foolish  explana- 
tions ?  The  whole  disgraceful  row  had  arisen  through 
my  contemptible  efforts  to  justify  a  situation  which  al- 
lowed of  no  justification.  The  piano  was  hers,  as  she 
truly  said,  and  I  had  no  more  right  to  touch  it  than  I 
had  to  wear  her  jewellery.  My  sole  desire  at  first  was 
to  get  ashore  as  soon  as  anchor  was  dropped,  and  never 
again  see  either  father  or  daughter.  But  a  few  mo- 
ments' reflection  showed  me  the  quandary  into  which  I 
had  brought  myself.  I  was  already  indebted  to  the 
old  gentleman,  not  only  for  the  money  he  had  advanced 
to  me,  but  for  his  kindness  from  the  very  first,  which  I 
had  repaid  by  an  interference  in  his  family  affairs  that 
made  me  loathe  myself.  Never  before  had  I  felt  so 

IOI 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

acutely  the  sting  of  poverty.  Not  even  in  my  starva- 
tion days  at  Nagasaki  had  my  lack  of  means  borne  so 
heavily  upon  me.  It  was  utterly  impossible  for  me  to 
refund  a  penny  of  the  pounds  he  had  so  generously  be- 
stowed upon  me.  The  only  requital  in  my  power  was 
that  of  honest  service  to  him,  and  now  I  had  made  my 
stay  on  the  yacht  impossible,  when,  had  I  retained  a 
modicum  of  sanity  at  the  proper  moment,  I  might  have 
withdrawn  with  no  loss  of  dignity.  Now  my  own  self- 
respect  was  gone,  and  I  had  more  than  justified  every 
bitter  taunt  she  flung  at  me. 

So,  in  a  very  hopeless  state  of  misery  and  dejection, 
I  walked  up  and  down  the  deck  until  Mr.  Hemster  him- 
self came  quietly  up  the  companion-way  and  took  his 
usual  place  in  his  wicker  chair,  setting  his  heels  upon 
the  rail  in  front  of  him,  and  biting  off  the  end  of  a 
cigar.  He  gave  me  no  greeting,  but  this  also  was  usual 
with  him,  and  so  it  meant  nothing  one  way  or  another. 
However,  I  had  at  last  made  up  my  mind  on  a  course 
of  action,  so  I  strode  over  to  where  he  sat,  and  he 
looked  up  at  me  with  what  I  took  to  be  more  of  appre- 
hension than  censure  in  his  gaze.  It  was  no  matter  of 
wonder  to  me  that  he  must  be  seriously  doubting  his 
wisdom  in  taking  on  board  without  recommendation  » 
stranger  who  had  just  proved  himself  such  a  brawler, 

"  Mr.  Hemster,"  said  I,  "  an  apology  is  a  cheap 
method  of  trying  to  make  amends  for  what  is  inexcus* 
able;  but  I  should  like  to  tell  you,  and  I  should  like 
you  to  believe,  how  sorry  I  am  for  my  conduct  of  a 
short  time  since.  I  regret  to  say  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  return  the  money  you  have  advanced.  When  I 

102 


first  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  I  stated  to  you 
quite  truthfully  that  I  was  at  the  end  of  my  resources, 
and  of  course  my  prospects  have  not  improved  in  the 
mean  time,  except  in  so  far  as  your  own  favour  is  con- 
cerned, and  that,  I  quite  realize,  I  have  forfeited. 
From  this  time  until  we  sight  land,  I  shall  live  forward 
with  the  crew  in  the  forecastle,  and  shall  not  again  come 
aft  except  in  obedience  to  your  orders.  When  we 
reach  Corea  I  am  entirely  at  your  disposal.  If  you 
wish  me  to  carry  out  the  project  you  have  in  hand,  I 
shall  do  so  to  the  best  of  my  ability ;  if  not,  I  give  you 
my  word  I  will  refund  to  you  the  money  as  soon  as  I 
can  earn  it." 

"  Sit  down,"  he  said  very  quietly,  and  when  I  had 
done  so  he  remained  silent,  gazing  over  the  rail  at  the 
distant  horizon  for  what  seemed  to  me  a  very  long 
time.  Then  he  spoke,  never  raising  his  voice  above  the 
level  at  which  he  always  kept  it. 

"  You  are  a  little  excited  just  now,"  he  said,  "  and 
take  an  exaggerated  view  of  the  matter.  Do  you  think 
any  one  on  deck  heard  that  pistol-shot  ?  " 

"I  don't  know;  I  rather  imagine  not.  No  one 
seemed  at  all  on  the  alert  when  I  came  up." 

"  Well,  it  sounded  as  if  it  would  raise  all  creation 
down  below,  but  perhaps  it  did  n't  make  such  a  racket 
up  here.  Now,  if  you  went  forward  and  lived  with  the 
crew,  what  would  be  the  effect?  They  would  merely 
say  we  made  it  impossible  for  you  to  live  aft.  I  suppose 
by  rights  I  shouldn't  mind  what  my  crew 'thinks  or 
says;  but  I  do  mind  it.  We  are  in  a  way  a  small 
democracy  afloat,  one  man  as  good  as  another.  If  the 

103 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

firing  were  heard  on  deck,  then  the  captain  will  be  jok- 
ing about  it  at  luncheon  time,  and  we'll  know.  If  it 
was  n't,  the  least  said  about  it  the  better.  If  you  don't 
like  to  come  to  meals,  I  have  n't  a  word  to  say ;  you 
can  have  them  served  in  your  own  room.  As  for  the 
money  I  advanced,  that  does  n't  amount  to  anything.  I 
am  sure  you  are  just  the  man  I  want  for  what  there  is 
to  do,  and  when  that 's  done  it  will  be  me  that 's  owing 
you  money.  I  'm  a  good  deal  older  than  you,  and  I 
have  found  that  in  business  a  man  must  keep  his  tem- 
per, or  he  's  going  to  give  all  his  adversaries  a  great 
advantage  over  him,  and  things  are  cut  so  close  now- 
adays that  no  one  can  afford  to  give  points  to  his  rival. 
I  've  had  to  control  my  temper  or  be  a  failure,  so  I  con- 
trolled it.  My  daughter  has  n't  had  to  do  that.  In- 
stead of  blaming  her,  you  should  blame  me.  It 's  my 
temper  she 's  got." 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Hemster,  I  assure  you  I  am  blaming 
neither  of  you ;  I  am  blaming  myself." 

"  Well,  that 's  all  right.  It 's  a  good  state  of  Chris- 
tian feeling  and  won't  do  you  any  harm.  Now  you 
said  that  when  we  land  you  are  willing  to  do  anything 
I  ask.  Are  you  willing  to  do  that  before  we  go 
ashore  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Hemster,  any  command  you  may  lay 
upon  me  I  shall  execute  without  question." 

"  Oh,  I  won't  lay  a  command  on  you  at  all ;  but  I 
ask  as  a  favour  that  you  go  below,  knock  at  my  daugh- 
ter's door,  and  tell  her  you  are  sorry  for  what  has  hap- 
pened. Put  it  any  way  you  like,  or  don't  do  it  at  all 
if  you  don't  want  to.  After  all,  she  is  a  woman,  you 

104 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

know.  You  and  I  are  men,  and  should  stand  the  brunt, 
even  if  we  are  not  entitled  to  it,  and  it  may  make  things 
go  a  little  smoother,  perhaps." 

We  are  supposed  to  be  an  unemotional  race,  but  I 
confess  that  the  old  man's  mild  words  touched  me 
deeply,  and  made  it  next  to  impossible  for  me  to  reply 
to  him.  But,  even  so,  my  own  judgment  told  me  that 
a  life  of  this  desire  to  make  things  go  smoothly  had  re- 
sulted in  building  up  a  character  in  his  daughter  which 
took  an  obstreperous  advantage  of  the  kindly  old  gen- 
tleman's strong  affection  for  her.  I  arose  without  a 
word,  thrust  forward  my  hand  to  him,  which  he  shook 
somewhat  shamefacedly,  glancing  nervously  around, 
fearing  there  might  be  onlookers.  I  entirely  appreci- 
ated his  reserve,  and  wished  for  a  moment  that  I  had 
not  acted  upon  my  impulse,  to  his  visible  embarrass- 
ment. I  went  instantly  to  the  saloon,  along  the  pas- 
sage, and  knocked  at  the  door  of  Miss  Hemster's  apart- 
ment. She  herself  opened  the  door,  with  what  seemed 
to  me  to  be  her  usual  briskness ;  but  when  I  looked  at 
her,  I  saw  her  drooping  like  a  stricken  flower,  head 
bent,  and  eyes  on  the  floor.  Scarcely  above  a  whisper, 
she  asked  with  tremor-shaken  voice : 

"  Did  you  wish  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Miss  Hemster,"  I  replied,  nerving  myself  to 
the  point.  "  I  wish,  since  you  are  good  enough  to  re- 
ceive me,  to  apologize  most  abjectly  for  my  rudeness 
to  you  this  morning." 

She  replied  in  a  sad  little  voice,  without  looking  up : 

"  I  do  not  really  mind  in  the  least  how  much  you 
play  the  piano,  Mr.  Tremorne." 

105 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

This  was  so  unexpected  a  remark,  so  ludicrously 
aside  from  the  real  point  at  issue  between  us,  so  far 
from  touching  the  hideousness  of  my  culpability,  that 
I  looked  at  the  girl,  wondering  whether  or  not  she  was 
in  earnest.  I  had  not  come  to  get  permission  to  play 
the  piano.  Her  attitude,  to  which  no  other  word  than 
"  wilted  "  so  appropriately  applied,  continued  to  be  one 
of  mute  supplication  or  dependence.  Yet  in  the  semi- 
darkness  I  fancied  I  caught  one  brief  glance  at  my  face. 
Then  she  leaned  her  fair  head  against  the  jam  of  the 
door  and  began  to  cry  very  softly  and  very  hopelessly. 

I  stood  there  like  the  awkward  fool  I  was,  not  know- 
ing what  to  say ;  and  finally  she  completed  my  desola- 
tion by  slowly  raising  her  two  arms  up  toward  my  face. 
Since  our  contest  she  had  removed  the  striking  cos- 
tume she  then  wore,  and  had  put  on  a  white  lace  fleecy 
garment  that  was  partly  dressing-gown,  partly  tea- 
gown,  decorated  with  fluttering  blue  ribbon.  This 
had  very  wide  sleeves  which  fell  away  from  her  arms, 
leaving  them  bare  and  rounded,  pure  and  white.  Her 
two  slender,  shapely  hands  hung  in  helpless  fashion 
from  the  wrists  like  lilies  on  a  broken  stem.  The  slow 
upraising  of  them  seemed  to  me  strange  and  meaning- 
less, until  the  light  from  the  inner  room  fell  upon  her 
wrists,  and  then  the  purport  of  her  action  became  stun- 
ningly clear  to  me.  Around  that  dainty  forearm,  deli- 
cately fashioned  for  the  tenderest  usage,  showed  red 
and  angry  the  marks  of  my  brutal  fingers,  silent  accus- 
ers held  up  before  my  very  eyes.  Distraught  as  I  was 
with  self-accusation,  I  could  not  help  admiring  the 
dramatic  effectiveness  of  the  slow  motion  and  resulting 

106 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

attitude.  The  drooping  girl,  with  her  soft,  clinging 
draperies,  her  sad  face  so  beautiful,  her  contour  so  per- 
fect, and  those  soft  appealing  hands  upraised, —  hands 
that  I  could  not  forget  had  been  placed  with  impulsive 
friendliness  in  mine  on  the  streets  of  Nagasaki, —  and 
all  this  accompanied  by  the  almost  silent  symphony  of 
quivering  sobs  that  were  little  louder  than  sighs  tremu- 
lously indrawn,  formed  a  picture  that  has  never  been 
effaced  from  my  memory.  I  had  rather  a  man's 
clenched  fist  had  struck  me  to  the  ground  than  that  a 
woman's  open  palm  should  be  so  held  in  evidence 
against  me.  I  regard  that  moment  as  the  most  un- 
bearable of  my  life,  and  with  a  cry  almost  of  despair 
I  turned  and  fled.  For  once  language  had  become  im- 
possible and  utterly  inadequate. 

As  I  beat  this  precipitate  retreat,  was  it  my  over- 
wrought imagination,  or  was  it  actual,  that  I  heard  an 
indignant  word  of  expostulation,  followed  by  a  low 
sweet  ripple  of  laughter.  Had  there  been  some  one 
else  in  the  room  during  this  painful  interview?  I 
staggered  like  a  drunken  man  up  to  the  deck,  and  then 
endeavoured  to  walk  it  off  and  cease  thinking. 

Mr.  Hemster  said  nothing  to  me  that  day,  nor  I  to 
him,  after  I  came  on  deck  again.  For  an  hour  I  strode 
the  deck  with  an  energy  which,  if  applied  in  the  right 
direction,  would  have  driven  the  yacht  faster  than  she 
was  going.  When  the  gong  sounded  for  luncheon  I 
went  down  to  my  own  room  and  was  served  there. 
After  the  meal  I  did  not  go  up  on  deck  again,  but  sat 
on  the  sofa  gloomily  smoking.  Later  I  got  a  novel 
from  the  library,  and  tried  to  interest  myself  in  it,  but 

107 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

failed.  I  felt  physically  tired,  as  if  I  had  done  a  hard 
day's  work,  and,  unsentimental  as  it  is  to  confess  it,  I 
fell  asleep  on  the  sofa,  and  slept  until  the  gong  for  din- 
ner aroused  me. 

Dinner  I  also  enjoyed  in  solitary  state  in  my  own 
apartment,  then,  under  the  brilliant  cluster  of  electric 
lights,  tried  the  novel  again,  but  again  without  suc- 
cess. The  nap  in  the  afternoon  made  sleep  improbable 
if  I  turned  in,  so  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  do  with  my- 
self. I  rather  envied  Silas  K.  Hemster's  reticence,  and 
his  seeming  dislike  for  intercourse  with  his  fellows. 
He  was  the  most  self-contained  man  I  had  ever  met, 
preferring  the  communion  of  his  own  thoughts  to  con- 
versation with  any  one.  At  this  crisis  of  indecision  the 
way  was  made  plain  for  me  by  the  youth  from  Japan. 
There  came  a  gentle  tap  at  my  door,  and  on  opening 
it  the  Japanese  boy  said  respectfully : 

"  Sir,  Miss  Stretton  would  like  to  speak  with  you  on 
deck." 


108 


CHAPTER   X 

I  HAD  flung  my  much-maligned  blazer  into  a  cor- 
ner, and  now  I  slipped  on  an  ordinary  tweed 
coat.  I  found  the  deck  empty  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Miss  Stretton,  who  was  walking  up  and  down 
in  the  moonlight,  as  she  had  done  the  night  before, 
but  this  time  she  came  forward  with  a  sweet  smile 
on  her  lips,  extending  her  hand  to  me  as  if  we  had 
been  old  friends  long  parted.  There  was  something 
very  grateful  to  me  in  this  welcome,  as  I  was  begin- 
ning to  look  upon  myself  as  a  pariah  unfit  for  human 
companionship.  Indeed,  I  had  been  bitterly  meditat- 
ing on  striking  into  the  Corean  wilderness  and  living 
hereafter  as  one  of  the  natives,  about  the  lowest  am- 
bition that  ever  actuated  the  mind  of  man. 

"  Have  you  sentenced  yourself  to  solitary  imprison- 
ment, Mr.  Tremorne  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Don't  you  think  I  deserve  it  ?  " 
"  Frankly,  I  don't ;  but  as  you  did  not  appear  at 
either  luncheon  or  dinner,  and  as  the  Japanese  boy  who 
brought  my  coffee  up  here  told  me  you  were  keeping  to 
your  room,  I  thought  it  as  well  to  send  for  you,  and  I 
hope  you  are  not  offended  at  having  your  meditation 
broken  in  upon.  Prisoners,  you  know,  are  allowed 
to  walk  for  a  certain  time  each  day  in  the  courtyard. 

109 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  do  wish  I  had  a  ball  and  chain  for  your  ankles,  but 
we  are  on  board  ship,  and  cannot  expect  all  the  luxu- 
ries of  civilization." 

Her  raillery  cheered  me  more  than  I  can  say. 

"  Miss  Stretton,  it  is  more  than  good  of  you  to  re- 
ceive an  outcast  in  this  generous  manner." 

"  An  outcast  ?  Please  don't  talk  rubbish,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne !  Somehow  I  had  taken  you  for  a  sensible  per- 
son, and  now  all  my  ideas  about  you  are  shattered." 

"  I  don't  wonder  at  it,"  I  said  despondently. 

"  Yes,  I  know  you  are  in  the  Slough  of  Despond,  and 
I  am  trying  to  pull  you  out  of  it.  When  I  remember 
that  men  have  ruled  great  empires,  carried  on  impor- 
tant wars,  subdued  the  wilderness,  conquered  the  ocean, 
girdled  the  earth  with  iron,  I  declare  I  wonder  where 
their  brains  depart  to  when  they  are  confronted  with 
silly,  whimpering,  designing  women." 

"  But  still,  Miss  Stretton,  to  come  from  the  general 
to  the  particular,  a  man  has  no  right  to  ill-treat  a 
woman." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you ;  but,  as  you  say,  to  come  to 
this  particular  incident  which  is  in  both  our  minds,  do 
you  actually  believe  that  there  was  ill-treatment? 
Don't  you  know  in  your  own  soul  that  if  the  girl  had 
received  treatment  like  that  long  ago  she  would  not 
now  be  a  curse  to  herself  and  to  all  who  are  condemned 
to  live  within  her  radius  ?  " 

"  Yet  I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  that  it  was  none 
of  my  business.  Her  father  was  present,  and  her  cor- 
rection was  his  affair." 

"  Her  correction  was  any  one's  affair  that  had  the 
no 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

courage  to  undertake  it.  What  had  you  seen?  You 
had  seen  her  strike  me,  and  thrust  me  from  her  as  if  I 
were  a  leper.  Then  you  saw  this  girl  with  the  temper 
of  the — the  temper  of  the — oh,  help  me 

"  Temper  of  the  devil,"  I  responded  promptly. 

"  Thank  you !  You  saw  her  take  up  a  deadly 
weapon,  and  if  she  has  not  murdered  one  of  the  three 
of  us,  we  have  to  thank,  not  her,  but  the  mercy  of  God. 
You  did  exactly  the  right  thing,  and  the  only  thing, 
and  actually  she  would  have  admired  you  for  it  had 
it  not  been  that  you  came  down  to  her  door  and  pros- 
trated yourself  for  her  to  trample  over  you." 

M  Good  heavens,  Miss  Stretton !  were  you  inside  that 
room  ?  " 

"  It  does  n't  matter  whether  I  was  or  not.  I  know 
that  she  twisted  you  around  her  little  finger,  and  took 
her  revenge  in  the  only  way  that  was  possible  for  her.'* 

"  Ah,  but  you  don't  know  the  depth  of  my  degrada- 
tion. She  showed  me  her  wrists,  marked  by  the  fin- 
gers of  a  savage,  and  that  savage  was  myself." 

"  Pooh !  pooh !  pooh !  "  cried  Miss  Stretton,  laugh- 
ing. "  Do  you  think  those  marks  indicate  pain  ?  Not  a 
bit  of  it.  Your  grasp  of  her  wrists  did  not  injure  her  in 
the  least,  and,  short  of  putting  handcuffs  on  them,  was 
the  only  method  at  your  disposal  to  prevent  her  per- 
haps killing  her  father,  a  man  worth  a  million  such  as 
she,  and  yet  neither  he  nor  you  have  the  sense  to  see  it. 
I  can  inform  you  that  Miss  Gertrude's  arm  is  sore  to- 
night, but  not  where  you  clasped  it.  She  hurt  herself 
more  than  she  injured  me  when  she  struck  me.  Look 
at  this," — and  she  drew  back  her  sleeve,  disclosing  a 

in 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

wrist  as  pretty  as  that  of  Miss  Hemster,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  one  part  was  both  bruised  and  swollen. 
"  That  is  where  I  caught  her  blow,  and  can  assure  you 
it  was  given  with  great  force  and  directness.  So,  Mr. 
Tremorne,  if  you  have  any  sympathy  to  expend,  please 
let  me  have  the  benefit  of  it,  and  I  will  bestow  my  sym- 
pathy upon  you  in  return." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Stretton,  I  am  very  sorry  to  see  that 
you  are  hurt.  I  hoped  you  had  warded  off  the  blow 
slantingly,  instead  of  getting  it  square  on  the  arm  like 
that." 

"  Oh,  it  Is  nothing,"  said  the  girl  carelessly,  draw- 
ing down  her  sleeve  again,  "  it  is  merely  an  exhibit, 
as  they  say  in  the  courts,  to  win  the  sympathy  of  a  man, 
and  it  does  n't  hurt  now  in  the  least,  unless  I  strike  it 
against  something.  I  ask  you  to  believe  that  I  would 
never  have  said  a  word  about  the  girl  to  you  if  you  had 
not  seen  for  yourself  what  those  near  her  have  to  put 
up  with.  You  will  understand,  Mr.  Tremorne,  I  am 
but  a  poor  benighted  woman  who  has  had  no  one  to 
talk  to  for  months  and  months.  I  cannot  unburden 
my  soul  to  Mr.  Hemster,  because  I  like  him  too  well ; 
and  if  I  talk  to  the  captain  he  will  merely  laugh  at  me, 
and  tell  funny  stories.  There  is  no  one  but  you;  so 
you  see,  unfortunate  man,  you  are  the  victim  of  two 
women." 

"  I  like  being  the  victim  of  one  of  them,"  said  I ; 
"  but  am  I  to  infer  from  what  you  have  said  that,  as 
you  don't  speak  to  Mr.  Hemster  because  you  like  him, 
you  speak  to  me  because  you  dislike  me  ?  " 

"  What   a    far-fetched    conclusion ! "    she    laughed. 

112 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Certainly  not.  I  like  you  very  much  indeed,  and 
even  admired  you  until  you  used  the  word  'abjectly' 
down  in  that  passage.  That  is  a  word  I  detest;  no 
one  should  employ  it  when  referring  to  himself." 

"  Then  you  were  in  Miss  Hemster's  room  after  all." 

"  I  have  not  said  so,  and  I  refuse  to  admit  it.  That 
is  hereafter  to  be  a  forbidden  topic,  and  a  redeemed 
prisoner  in  charge  of  his  gaoler  must  not  disobey  or- 
ders. If  it  were  not  for  me,  you  would  now  be  in  your 
room  moping  and  meditating  on  your  wickedness.  I 
have  wrestled  with  you  as  if  I  were  a  Salvation  lass, 
and  so  you  should  be  grateful." 

"  Never  was  a  man  wallowing  in  despondency  more 
grateful  for  the  helping  hand  of  a  woman  enabling  him 
to  emerge." 

"  It  is  very  generous  of  you  to  say  that,  when  it 
was  the  helping  hand  of  a  woman  that  pushed  you 
into  it." 

"  No,  it  was  my  own  action  that  sent  me  there.  I 
doubt  if  a  man  ever  gets  into  the  Slough  of  Despond 
through  the  efforts  of  any  one  else.  A  lone  man 
blunders  blindly  along,  and  the  first  thing  he  knows 
he  is  head  over  ears  in  the  mud, —  and  serve  him 
right,  too." 

"  Why  serve  him  right  ?  " 

"  Because  he  has  no  business  being  a  lone  man. 
Two  heads  are  better  than  one ;  then,  if  one  is  making 
for  the  ditch,  the  helping  hand  of  the  other  restrains.'* 

"  Since  when  did  you  arrive  at  so  desperate  a  con- 
clusion, Mr.  Tremorne?" 

"  Since  I  met  you." 

"3 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Well,  it  is  a  blessing  there  was  no  one  to  restrain 
you  to-day,  or  otherwise  somebody  might  have  been 
shot.  There  is  something  to  be  said  for  lack  of  re- 
straint upon  occasion." 

"  Miss  Stretton,  if  I  had  had  a  sensible  woman  to 
advise  me,  I  am  certain  I  would  never  have  lost  my 
money." 

"  Was  it  a  large  amount  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  fortune." 

"  How  one  lives  and  learns !  I  have  often  heard  that 
women  squander  fortunes,  but  never  yet  that  a  woman 
helped  to  preserve  one." 

"  It  is  better  for  a  man's  wife  to  squander  a  for- 
tune than  to  allow  a  stranger  to  do  it." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  so  sure.  The  end  seems  to  be  the 
same  in  both  cases.  I  suppose  you  have  in  your  mind 
the  woman  who  would  have  given  you  good  advice  at 
the  proper  time. 

"  Yes,  I  have." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  ask  her  now,  or  is  it  too 
late?" 

"  I  don't  know  that  she  would  have  anything  to  do 
with  me;  however,  it  is  very  easy  to  find  out.  Miss 
Stretton,  will  you  marry  me?  I  have  nothing  particu- 
lar to  offer  you  except  myself,  but  I  think  I  've  reached 
the  lowest  ebb  of  my  fortunes,  and  any  change  must  be 
toward  improvement." 

"  Good  gracious,  is  this  actually  a  proposal  ?  " 

"  If  you  will  be  so  generous  as  to  regard  it  as  such." 

The  young  lady  stopped  in  her  promenade,  and 
leaned  back  against  the  rail,  looking  me  squarely  in 

114 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  face.  Then  she  laughed  with  greater  heartiness 
than  I  had  yet  heard  her  do. 

"  This  is  most  interesting,"  she  said  at  last,  "  and 
really  most  amazing.  Why,  you  must  have  known  me 
for  nearly  two  hours!  I  assure  you  I  did  not  lend 
you  a  helping  hand  out  of  the  Slough  of  Despond 
to  imprison  you  at  once  in  the  Castle  Despair  of  a 
penniless  marriage.  Besides,  I  always  thought  a  pro- 
posal came  after  a  long  and  somewhat  sentimental 
camaraderie,  which  goes  under  the  name  of  courtship. 
However,  this  explains  what  I  have  so  often  mar- 
velled at  in  the  English  papers;  a  phrase  that  struck 
me  as  strange  and  unusual :  '  A  marriage  has  been  ar- 
ranged and  will  take  place  between  So-and-So  and 
So-and-So.'  Such  a  proposal  as  you  have  just  made  is 
surely  an  arrangement  rather  than  a  love  affair.  In- 
deed, you  have  said  nothing  about  love  at  all,  and  so 
probably  such  a  passion  does  not  enter  into  the  amal- 
gamation. If  you  were  not  so  serious  I  should  have 
thought  you  were  laughing  at  me." 

"  On  the  contrary,  madam,  I  am  very  much  in  earn- 
est, and  it  is  you  who  are  laughing  at  me." 

"  Don't  you  think  I  've  a  very  good  right  to  do  so  ? 
Why,  we  are  hardly  even  acquainted,  and  I  have  no 
idea  what  your  Christian  name  is,  as  I  suppose  you 
have  no  idea  what  mine  is." 

"  Oh,  Hilda,  I  know  your  name  perfectly !  " 

"  I  see  you  do,  and  make  use  of  it  as  well,  which 
certainly  advances  us  another  step.  But  the  other  half 
of  my  proposition  is  true,  and  I  remain  in  ignorance  of 
yours." 

US 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  When  unconsciously  I  went  through  the  ceremony 
of  christening,  I  believe  my  godfathers  and  godmoth- 
ers presented  me  with  the  name  of  Rupert." 

"  What  a  long  time  you  take  in  the  telling  of  it. 
Was  n't  there  a  Prince  Rupert  once?  It  seems  to  me 
I  've  heard  the  phrase  '  the  Rupert  of  debate,'  and  the 
Rupert  of  this,  and  the  Rupert  of  that,  so  he  seems  to 
be  a  very  dashing  fellow." 

"  He  was.  He  dashed  into  misfortune,  as  I  have 
often  done,  but  there  all  likeness  between  us  ends." 

"  It  seems  to  me  the  likeness  remains,  because  the 
present  Rupert  is  dashing  into  the  misfortune  of  a  very 
heedless  proposal.  But  do  not  fear  that  I  shall  take 
advantage  of  your  recklessness,  which  is  the  more  dan- 
gerous when  you  remember  my  situation.  I  sometimes 
think  I  would  almost  marry  the  Prince  of  Darkness  to 
get  out  of  the  position  I  hold,  for  I  am  told  he  is  a 
gentleman,  who  probably  keeps  his  temper,  and  I  am 
coming  to  the  belief  that  a  good  temper  is  a  jewel  be- 
yond price.  However,  I  'm  exaggerating  again.  I  do 
not  really  need  to  stay  here  unless  I  wish  it,  and  I  re- 
main for  the  sake  of  Mr.  Hemster,  who,  as  I  told  you 
last  night,  has  always  been  very  kind  to  me,  and  for 
whom  I  have  a  great  respect  and  liking.  Besides,  I  am 
not  nearly  so  helpless  as  perhaps  you  may  imagine.  If 
I  went  home  I  could  make  a  very  good  living  teach- 
ing music  in  the  States.  So  you  see  I  do  not  need 
to  accept  the  Prince  of  Darkness  should  he  offer  his 
hand." 

"  You  mean,  when  he  has  offered  his  hand  ?  " 

She  laughed  at  this,  and  went  on  merrily : 
116 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  No,  '  if ; '  not  '  when.'  I  shall  always  cherish  the 
proposal  of  Prince  Rupert,  and  when  the  Prince  of 
Darkness  makes  advances  I  shall  probably  tell  him  that 
he  is  not  the  first  Highness  so  to  honour  me.  When 
the  sunlight  comes  to  take  the  place  of  the  moonlight, 
we  shall  laugh  together  over  this — I  can't  call  it  sen- 
timental episode,  shall  we  term  it,  business  arrange- 
ment ?  Now,  would  you  mind  accepting  a  little  advice 
on  the  subject  of  matrimony?  " 

"  I  '11  accept  your  advice  if  you  '11  accept  me.  Turn 
about  is  fair  play,  you  know.  Let  us  finish  one  trans- 
action before  we  begin  another." 

"  Transaction  is  a  charming  word,  Mr.  Tremorne, 
nearly  as  good  as  arrangement;  I  am  not  sure  but  it 
is  better.  I  thought  the  transaction  was  finished. 
You  are  respectfully  declined,  with  thanks,  but,  as  I 
assured  you,  I  shall  always  cherish  the  memory  of  this 
evening,  and,  now  that  the  way  is  clear,  may  I  tender 
this  advice,  which  I  have  been  yearning  for  some  hours 
to  give  you.  You  won't  reply.  Well,  on  the  whole  I 
think  your  attitude  is  very  correct.  You  could  hardly 
be  expected  to  jump  joyously  from  one  transaction  to 
another,  and  I  really  feel  very  much  flattered  that  you 
have  put  on  that  dejected  look  and  attitude,  which 
becomes  you  very  much  indeed  and  almost  makes  me 
think  that  the  precipitancy  of  my  refusal  equals  the 
headlong  impetuosity  of  your  avowal.  A  wiser  woman 
would  have  asked  time  for  consideration." 

"  Pray  take  the  time,  Miss  Stretton ;  it  is  not  yet  too 
late." 

"  Yes,  it  is.  What  is  done,  is  done,  and  now  comes 
117 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

my  advice.  You  said  two  heads  are  better  than  one. 
That  is  true  generally,  but  not  always,  so  I  shall  present 
you  with  an  aphorism  in  place  of  it,  which  is  that  two 
purses  are  better  than  one,  if  either  contains  anything. 
If  one  purse  is  always  empty,  and  the  other  is  bursting 
full,  the  truth  of  my  adage  cannot  be  questioned.  I 
surmise  that  your  purse  and  mine  are  almost  on  an 
equality,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  Miss  Hemster's 
portemonnaie  is  full  to  repletion." 

"  That  has  nothing  to  do  with  me,"  I  answered 
curtly. 

"  Oh,  but  it  may  have,  and  much.  I  noticed  when 
you  came  down  to  luncheon  yesterday  that  you  are 
very  deeply  in  love  with  Miss  Hemster." 

"  My  dear  Miss  Hilda, — I  claim  the  right  to  call  you 
that, — when  one  remembers  that  you  never  took  your 
eyes  from  your  plate  at  luncheon  I  must  say  that  you 
have  most  extraordinary  powers  of  observation.  You 
thought  I  was  high  and  mighty  toward  Mr.  Hemster, 
which  was  not  the  case,  and  now  you  assert  that  I  was 
in  love  with  Miss  Hemster,  which  is  equally  beside  the 
fact." 

"  Of  course  you  are  bound  to  say  that,  and  I  may 
add  that  although  I  am  offering  you  advice  I  am  not 
asking  confidences  in  exchange.  I  assert  that  you  fell 
in  love  with  Miss  Hemster  during  your  charming  ram- 
ble through  Nagasaki;  falling  in  love  with  a  haste 
which  seems  to  be  characteristic  of  you,  and  which  to- 
tally changes  the  ideas  I  had  previously  held  regarding 
an  Englishman." 

"  Yes,  a  number  of  your  notions  concerning  the  men 
118 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

of  my  country  were  entirely  erroneous,  as  I  took  the 
liberty  of  pointing  out  to  you  last  night." 

"  So  you  did,  but  actions  speak  louder  than  words, 
and  I  form  my  conclusions  from  your  actions.  Very 
well,  propose  to  Miss  Hemster;  I  believe  she  would 
accept  you,  and  I  further  believe  that  you  would  prove 
the  salvation  of  the  girl.  Her  father  would  make  no 
objection,  for  I  see  he  already  likes  you;  but  in  any 
case  he  would  offer  no  opposition  to  anything  that  his 
daughter  proposed.  His  life  is  devoted,  poor  man,  to 
ministering  to  her  whims  and  caprices,  so  you  are 
certain  of  the  parental  blessing,  and  that  would  carry 
with  it,  as  I  have  pointed  out,  the  full  purse." 

"  You  spoke  of  the  Prince  of  Darkness  just  now, 
"Miss  Stretton,  so  I  will  appropriate  your  simile  and 
say  that  if  there  were  an  unmarried  Princess  of  Dark- 
ness I  would  sooner  try  my  luck  with  her  than  with 
Miss  Hemster." 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  Miss  Hemster  is  a  good-hearted 
girl  if  only  she'd  been  rightly  trained.  You  would 
tame  her.  I  know  no  man  so  fitted  to  be  the  modern 
Petruchio,  and  I  am  fond  enough  of  the  drama  to  say 
I  would  like  to  see  a  modern  rendering  of  '  The  Tam- 
ing of  the  Shrew.' " 

"  She  '11  never  be  tamed  by  me,  Miss  Stretton." 

"  She  has  been,  Mr.  Tremorne,  only  you  spoiled  your 
lesson  by  your  apology.  You  must  not  make  a  mistake 
like  that  again.  If  you  had  stood  your  ground,  preserv- 
ing a  distant  and  haughty  demeanour,  with  a  frown 
on  your  noble  brow,  pretty  Miss  Gertrude  would  soon 
have  come  around  to  you,  wheedling,  flattering,  and 

119 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

most  exquisitely  charming,  as  she  well  knows  how  to 
be.  You  could  then  have  caught  her  on  the  rebound, 
as  the  novels  put  it,  just,  in  fact,  as  I  have  managed  to 
catch  you  to-night.  You  will  be  very  thankful  in  the 
morning  that  I  refused  to  retain  my  advantage." 

"  I  shall  never  be  thankful  for  that,  Miss  Hilda,  and 
it  is  equally  certain  that  I  shall  never  propose  to  Miss 
Hemster.  If  I  were  a  speculative  adventurer  I  'd  ven- 
ture to  wager  on  it." 

"  Most  men  who  see  her,  propose  to  her ;  therefore 
you  must  not  imagine  that  Gertrude  has  not  been 
sought  after.  I  should  not  be  at  all  certain  of  your 
success  were  it  not  that  every  man  she  has  hitherto  met 
has  flattered  her,  while  you  have  merely  left  the  marks 
of  your  fingers  on  her  wrists  and  have  threatened  to 
box  her  ears.  This  gives  you  a  tremendous  advantage 
if  you  only  know  how  to  use  it.  I  have  read  some- 
where that  there  is  a  law  in  Britain  which  allows  a  hus- 
band to  punish  his  wife  with  a  stick  no  bigger  than  his 
little  finger.  I  therefore  advise  you  to  marry  the  girl, 
take  something  out  of  the  full  purse  and  buy  back  the 
ancestral  acres,  then  go  into  the  forest  and  select  a 
switch  as  large  as  the  law  allows.  After  that,  the  new 
comedy  of  '  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew,'  with  the  mar- 
ried pair  living  happily  ever  afterward.  You  should 
prove  the  most  fortunate  of  men,  in  that  you  will  pos- 
sess the  prettiest,  richest,  and  most  docile  wife  in  all 
your  island." 

"  I  am  not  a  barrister,  Miss  Stretton,  therefore  can 
neither  affirm  nor  deny  the  truth  you  have  stated  re- 
garding the  law  of  the  stick.  If,  however,  a  belief  in 

120 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

that  enactment  has  led  you  to  reject  my  proposal,  I  beg 
to  inform  you  that  I  have  no  ancestral  acres  contain- 
ing a  forest;  therefore  I  cannot  possess  myself  of  a 
twig  of  the  requisite  size  without  trespassing  on  some 
one  else's  timber.  So  you  see  you  need  have  no  fear  on 
that  score." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,"  replied  Hilda,  shaking  her  pret- 
ty Head,  "  I  imagine  there  must  be  a  Wife-Beaters' 
Supply  Company  in  London  somewhere,  which  fur- 
nishes the  brutal  Britisher  at  lowest  rates  with  the  cor- 
rect legal  apparatus  for  matrimonial  correction.  I 
tremble  to  think  of  the  scenes  that  must  have  been  en- 
acted in  the  numerous  strong  castles  of  Britain  which 
have  had  new  copper  roofs  put  on  with  the  money 
brought,  over  by  American  brides.  Girls,  obstreperous 
and  untrained,  but  wealthy  beyond  the  dreams  of  avar- 
ice, have  gone  across,  scorning  the  honest  straightfor- 
ward American  man,  who  in  my  opinion  is  the  most 
sincere  gentleman  of  all  the  world.  These  rich  but 
bad-tempered  jades  have  disappeared  within  the  castle, 
and  the  portcullis  has  come  down.  Have  we  ever 
heard  a  whimper  from  any  one  of  them  ?  Not  a  whis- 
per even.  If  they  had  married  American  men  there 
would  have  been  tremendous  rows,  ending  with  di- 
vorce cases;  but  not  so  when  they  have  disappeared 
into  the  castle.  You  never  hear  of  an  American 
woman  divorcing  a  lord,  and  Lord  knows  some  of 
those  lords  are  the  riff-raff  of  creation.  History  gives 
us  grim  pictures  of  tragical  scenes  in  those  old  strong- 
holds, but  I  shudder  to  think  of  the  tragedies  which 
must  occur  nowadays  when  once  the  drawbridge  is  up, 

121 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

and  the  American  girl,  hitherto  adored,  learns  the  law 
regarding  flagellation.  The  punishment  must  be  ex- 
ceedingly complete,  for  the  lady  emerges  cowed  and 
subdued  as  the  Kate  that  Shakespeare  wrote  about. 
And  how  well  that  great  man  understood  a  wilful  and 
tyrannical  woman !  Oh,  you  need  n't  look  shocked, 
Mr.  Tremorne.  Haven't  you  an  adage  on  that  be- 
nighted island  which  says  '  A  woman,  a  dog,  and  a 
walnut-tree;  the  more  you  beat  them  the  better  they 
be?'" 

"  Great  heavens,  girl,  what  an  imagination  you 
have!  You  should  really  write  a  novel.  It  would  be 
an  interesting  contribution  toward  international  love 
affairs." 

"  I  may  do  so,  some  day,  if  music-teaching  fails.  I 
should  like,  however,  to  have  the  confession  of  one  of 
the  victims  of  an  international  matrimonial  match." 

"  Which  victim  ?  The  English  husband  or  the 
American  wife  ?  " 

"  The  wife,  of  course.  I  think  I  shall  wait  until  you 
and  Miss  Hemster  are  married  a  year  or  two,  and  then 
perhaps  she  will  look  more  kindly  on  me  than  she  does 
at  present,  and  so  may  tell  me  enough  to  lend  local 
colour  to  my  book." 

"  I  can  give  you  a  much  better  plan  than  that,  Miss 
Stretton.  Hearsay  evidence,  you  know,  is  never  ad- 
mitted in  courts  of  law,  and  by  the  same  token  it 
amounts  to  very  little  in  books.  I  am  given  to  under- 
stand that,  to  be  successful,  an  author  must  have  lived 
through  the  events  of  which  he  writes,  so  your  best 
plan  is  to  accept  my  offer;  then  we  will  purchase  a 

122 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

moated  grange  in  England,  and  you  can  depict  its 
horrors  from  the  depths  of  experience." 

"  Where  are  we  to  get  the  money  for  the  moated 
grange  ?  I  have  n't  any,  and  you  've  just  acknowl- 
edged that  you  are  penniless." 

"  I  forgot  that.  Still,  moated  granges  are  always 
going  cheap.  They  are  damp  as  a  general  rule,  and 
not  much  sought  after.  We  could  possibly  buy  one  on 
the  instalment  plan,  or  even  rent  it  if  it  came  to  that." 

Miss  Stretton  laughed  joyously  at  the  idea,  held  out 
her  hand,  and  bade  me  a  cordial  good-night. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,  Mr.  Tremora*1  for  a  most  in- 
teresting evening,  and  also  for  the  proposal.  I  think  it 
very  kind  of  you,  for  I  suppose  you  suspect  I  have  n't 
had  very  many.  I  think  we  Ve  each  helped  the  other 
out  of  the  Slough  of  Despond.  So  good-night,  good- 
night!" 


123 


CHAPTER   XI 

I  WAS  awakened  next  morning  by  the  roar  of  the 
anchor-chain  running  out,  and  found  the  yacht 
at  a  standstill,  with  the  vibration  of  the  machin- 
ery temporarily  at  an  end.  On  looking  out  through 
the  porthole  I  recognized  the  town  of  Chemulpo,  which 
had  grown  considerably  since  I  last  saw  it.  Beyond 
stood  the  hills  of  Corea,  rising  wave  upon  wave,  as  if 
the  land  had  suffered  a  volcanic  eruption. 

Mr.  Hemster  and  I  had  breakfast  alone  together, 
after  which  we  went  on  deck. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  the  captain  has  brought  us  safely 
here  without  running  down  an  island,  and  the  next 
move  in  the  game  is  yours.  What  do  you  propose 
to  do?" 

"  I  shall  go  ashore  at  once,  engage  ponies  and  an 
escort,  change  a  quantity  of  silver  money  into  ropes  of 
sek,  then  I  shall  make  my  way  as  quickly  as  possible 
to  the  capital." 

"  What  are  ropes  of  sek?  "  asked  Mr.  Hemster. 

"  They  are  bronze,  iron,  or  copper  coins,  which  are 
strung  on  ropes  of  straw  by  means  of  a  square  hole  in 
the  middle.  They  are  the  most  debased  currency  ;on 
earth,  and  are  done  up  in  strings  of  five  hundred  cash. 
Sek  is  useful  in  dealing  with  the  natives,  but  when  I 

124 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

come  to  the  capital  I  shall  need  silver  and  gold.  When 
I  have  made  arrangements  at  Seoul  I  shall  return  to 
Chemulpo  and  let  you  know  the  result." 

"  You  told  me  I  could  not  take  the  '  Michigan '  up 
the  river, — what  do  you  call  it, — the  Han? — and  you 
were  doubtful  about  the  advisability  of  using  the 
naphtha  launch." 

"  No,  the  yacht  would  be  sure  to  run  aground  before 
you  had  gone  very  far,  and  as  for  the  naphtha  launch, 
the  Han  is  rather  a  treacherous  and  very  crooked  piece 
of  navigation,  and  if  you  had  to  stop  half-way  we 
might  be  farther  from  the  capital  than  we  are  now, 
with  a  worse  road  ahead  of  us,  and  no  chance  of  get- 
ting ponies  or  escort.  I  strongly  advise  you  to  stay 
where  you  are  till  I  return,  and  meanwhile  I  '11  find  out 
more  about  the  river  than  I  know  now." 

To  this  Mr.  Hemster  agreed,  and,  being  well  pro- 
vided with  the  sinews  of  war,  I  went  ashore.  Che- 
mulpo proved  to  be  quite  a  commercial  town,  and  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  my  getting  everything  I  wanted.  I 
was  shocked  but  not  surprised  to  find  that  the  Prime 
Minister,  whom  I  formerly  knew,  and  on  whose  help 
I  had  somewhat  counted,  had  been  deposed  and  be- 
headed, while  all  his  relatives,  male  and  female,  had 
been  eliminated  from  human  knowledge  by  death, 
slavery,  or  exile.  However,  even  if  this  man  had  re- 
mained in  office,  my  best  plea  with  him  would  have 
been  money,  and  as  I  was  well  provided  with  this  ne- 
cessity I  foresaw  no  obstacle  to  my  purpose.  Having 
had  an  early  start,  and  pushing  on  with  more  energy 
than  my  escort  relished,  in  spite  of  my  promises  of 

125 


recompense,  I  reached  the  capital  before  the  great  bell 
rang  and  the  gates  were  closed. 

I  had  some  thought  of  calling  on  the  British  repre- 
sentative, and  if  I  had  done  so  would  doubtless  have 
enjoyed  better  accommodation  for  the  night  than  fell 
to  my  lot ;  but  as,  the  last  time  I  saw  him,  I  was,  like 
himself,  a  servant  of  our  Government,  I  could  not 
bring  myself  to  acknowledge  that  I  was  now  merely 
the  hired  man  of  an  American  millionaire,  as  his 
daughter  had  so  tersely  put  it. 

Next  day  I  very  soon  bribed  my  way  to  the  presence 
of  the  then  Prime  Minister,  and  was  delighted  to  find 
in  him  a  certain  Hun  Woe,  whom  I  had  previously 
known  in  a  very  much  more  subordinate  capacity.  Af- 
ter our  greetings  I  went  straight  to  the  point,  and  told 
Hun  Woe  that  I  represented  a  gentleman  and  his 
daughter,  now  at  Chemulpo,  who  wished  the  honour  of 
a  private  conference  with  the  Emperor.  I  also  men- 
tioned casually  that  there  was  a  certain  amount  of 
money  in  this  for  the  Prime  Minister  if  he  could  bring 
about  the  interview.  Hun  Woe,  with  many  genuflec- 
tions, informed  me  that  the  delight  of  serving  me 
would  more  than  recompense  him  for  any  trouble  he 
was  likely  to  incur,  ending  his  protestations  of  deep 
friendship  and  regard  by  inquiring  how  much  of  the 
needful  the  gentleman  in  Chemulpo  would  be  prepared 
to  place  on  the  table.  I  replied  by  naming  a  sum  about 
one  quarter  of  the  amount  I  was  willing  to  pay.  The 
Prime  Minister's  eyes  glittered,  and  he  made  various 
shrugs  of  the  shoulders  and  motions  with  his  hands, 
during  the  time  that  he  politely  intimated  to  me  his 

126 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

rise  in  the  world  since  last  I  met  him.  A  cash  divi- 
dend which  would  have  been  ample  in  those  days,  he 
gently  hinted,  was  little  less  than  an  insult  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  So  far  as  he  was  himself  concerned,  he 
added,  his  services  were  freely  at  my  disposal,  and 
none  of  the  silver  would  stick  to  his  fingers ;  but,  as  I 
must  be  awarCj  the  Court  at  Seoul  was  a  most  grasping 
and  avaricious  body,  and  he  should  need  to  disburse 
freely  before  my  object  could  be  accomplished. 

I  sighed  and  shook  my  head,  rising  to  leave,  regret- 
ting it  was  not  to  be  my  good  fortune  to  add  to  the 
wealth  of  an  old  friend,  whereupon  Hun  Woe  begged 
me  to  be  seated  again,  and,  after  many  declarations  of 
affectionate  esteem,  was  good  enough  to  name  a  sum 
which  he  thought  might  be  sufficient  to  cover  all  ex- 
penses; and  as  this  came  to  less  than  half  of  what  I 
was  willing  to  dispose  of,  we  speedily  reached  an 
agreement.  This  haggling  at  the  outset  was  neces- 
sary, not  only  to  save  Hemster  his  hardly  earned 
money,  but  also  to  satisfy  the  official  that  he  was  driv- 
ing a  shrewd  bargain.  I  accordingly  paid  the  sum  in 
prompt  cash  to  Hun  Woe,  and  then  informed  him  that 
if  everything  went  off  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  em- 
ployer a  further  bonus  would  be  awarded  him,  depend- 
ing in  size  on  the  celerity  and  satisfactory  nature  of  the 
interview.  This  delighted  the  honest  Premier,  and  I 
must  admit  that  he  conducted  the  business  with  an 
energy  and  despatch  which  was  as  gratifying  as  it  was 
unexpected. 

East  or  West,  money  is  a  great  lubricator,  and,  as  I 
have  said,  I  was  well  provided.  That  very  afternoon 

127 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Hun  Woe  secured  me  an  audience  with  His  Imperial 
Majesty,  and  for  the  third  or  fourth  time  in  my  life  I 
stood  before  the  ruler  of  Corea.  I  do  not  know 
whether  he  recognized  me  or  not,  but  it  was  quite  evi- 
dent that  the  scent  of  gold  was  in  the  air,  and  the  Em- 
peror did  not  leave  it  long  in  doubt  that  he  intended  to 
acquire  as  much  as  might  be  available  of  it.  By  way 
of  introduction,  and  to  show  that  I  was  prepared  to  do 
the  proper  thing,  I  placed  a  heavy  bag  of  the  seductive 
metal  on  the  shabby  deal  table  before  him,  begging  His 
Majesty  to  accept  it  as  an  earnest  of  more  to  follow. 
He  poured  it  out  on  the  table,  and  gloated  over  it  with 
a  miser's  eagerness.  He  had  not  improved  in  appear- 
ance since  last  we  met.  The  seams  of  dissipation  had 
cut  deeply  into  the  royal  countenance,  and  his  little 
crinkling  pig  eyes  were  even  more  rapacious  and  cruel 
than  I  remembered  them  to  be. 

The  proposal  to  come  aboard  the  yacht  was  at  once 
dismissed  as  impracticable.  His  Majesty  would  not 
venture  away  from  his  capital,  and,  above  all,  he  would 
not  risk  his  precious  person  on  board  of  anybody's 
steamship,  so,  on  the  whole,  it  was  just  as  well  that  Mr. 
Hemster  had  not  essayed  the  navigation  of  the  river 
Han.  However,  His  Majesty  was  good  enough  to  in- 
form me  that  although  he  would  not  trust  his  royal 
person  to  the  care  of  the  infidels,  yet  he  would  make 
up  for  that  by  giving  so  generous  a  suitor  a  suite  of 
rooms  in  the  Palace  itself,  and  my  principal  would 
therefore  have  the  honour  of  being  the  guest  of  Corea, 
as  one  might  say.  I  imagined  that  this  would  look  as 
well  in  the  columns  of  the  "  New  York  Herald  "  as  if 

128 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  Emperor  had  gone  on  board  the  yacht.  I  fancied 
that  a  few  lines,  something  to  the  following  effect, 
would  read  very  acceptably  in  the  Sunday  papers  of 
Chicago,  under  the  head  of  Society  Notes: 

"  Mr.  Silas  K.  Hemster,  of  this  city,  and  Miss  Hemster, 
occupy  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  royal  Palace  of  Seoul,  as  guests 
of  the  Emperor  of  Corea." 

So,  all  in  all,  I  was  more  than  satisfied  with  the 
speedy  and  gratifying  outcome  of  my  mission  to  the 
Corean  capital.  After  retiring  from  the  royal  presence 
I  congratulated  the  Prime  Minister  upon  his  method  of 
conducting  negotiations  and  gave  him  a  further  pay- 
ment on  account,  so  that  he  would  not  be  tempted  to 
falter  in  well-doing;  and  as  for  Hun  Woe  himself  he 
looked  upon  me  as  the  most  valuable  visitor  that  had 
set  foot  in  Corea  for  many  years.  I  distributed  back- 
sheesh  somewhat  indiscriminately  among  the  under- 
lings of  the  Palace,  and  early  next  morning  left  the 
royal  precincts  on  my  return  to  Chemulpo,  which  port 
I  reached  without  any  mishap.  Possibly  never  before 
in  the  history  of  Seoul  had  business  been  so  rapidly 
transacted. 

I  found  Mr.  Hemster,  as  usual,  sitting  on  deck  in 
his  accustomed  chair,  as  if  he  had  no  interest  in  the 
negotiations  I  had  been  conducting.  He  listened  quiet- 
ly to  my  account  of  the  various  interviews,  and  re- 
ceived without  comment  the  bribery  bill  I  presented  to 
him.  He  did  not  appear  to  be  so  tremendously  im- 
pressed as  I  had  expected  with  the  royal  invitation  to 
visit  the  Palace,  and  said  he  would  have  preferred  to 
take  up  his  quarters  at  the  chief  hotel  in  the  place,  but 

129 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

when  I  told  him  there  was  not  a  hotel  in  the  city  fit  for 
a  white  man  to  sleep  in,  he  made  no  demur  to  the  Im- 
perial proposal.  It  seemed  he  had  visited  Chemulpo 
during  my  absence,  and  in  consequence  of  what  he 
heard  there  he  now  made  some  inquiry  regarding  the 
safety  of  a  stay  in  the  capital.  I  told  him  that  as  a 
rule  the  Coreans  were  a  peaceable  people  unless  incited 
to  violence  by  the  authorities,  and  as  long  as  we  were 
willing  to  bribe  the  authorities  sufficiently  they  would 
take  care  that  the  influx  of  the  newly  acquired  affluence 
would  not  be  interfered  with.  So  he  asked  me  to  go  to 
Chemulpo  and  make  arrangements  for  the  transport  of 
the  party  next  morning. 

I  had  not  seen  Miss  Hemster  on  the  day  I  left  for 
Seoul,  but  she  welcomed  my  return  with  her  for- 
mer girlish  enthusiasm,  just  as  if  nothing  particular 
had  happened.  She  seemed  to  have  entirely  recovered 
from  her  disappointment  in  not  getting  to  see  the  Em- 
peror of  Japan,  and  was  now  effusively  enthusiastic 
over  our  coming  journey.  The  young  woman  more 
than  made  up  for  her  father's  lack  of  interest  in  the 
royal  invitation,  and  I  was  asked  question  after  ques- 
tion regarding  the  Palace  at  Seoul,  which  I  feared 
would  disappoint  her  when  she  saw  it,  because  of  its 
dilapidations  and  general  lack  of  impressiveness. 
However,  a  palace  was  a  palace,  she  averred,  and  she 
further  pronounced  the  opinion  that  the  news  of  their 
residence  there  would  make  Chicago  "  sit  up  "  when  it 
was  cabled  over.  Miss  Stretton  sat  silent  with  down- 
cast eyes  during  this  cross-examination,  her  intelligent 
face  as  inscrutable  as  that  of  the  old  millionaire  him- 

130 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

self.  I  did  not  get  a  word  with  her  that  evening,  and, 
as  it  was  drawing  late,  I  had  to  return  to  Chemulpo  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  trip  the  following  day,  and 
so  stayed  ashore  that  night. 

We  had  a  beautiful  day  for  our  expedition,  and 
rather  a  jolly  trip  of  it, —  almost,  as  Miss  Hemster 
said,  as  if  it  were  a  picnic.  At  Miss  Hemster's  request 
I  rode  by  her  side,  with  Miss  Stretton  sometimes  with 
us,  but  more  often  in  front,  with  the  old  gentleman, 
who  jogged  moodily  on,  absorbed  in  his  own  medita- 
tions, saying  nothing  to  anybody.  Miss  Hemster 
chatted  very  gaily  most  of  the  day,  but  as  evening  drew 
on  she  became  tired  of  talk  and  began  to  look  anxiously 
for  the  gate  of  Seoul.  When  at  last  we  passed  through 
it  she  expressed  great  contempt  for  the  city  of  shanties, 
as  she  called  it,  giving  somewhat  petulant  expression  to 
her  disgust  at  the  disillusionment  for  which  I  had  un- 
successfully endeavoured  to  prepare  her.  Of  course 
by  the  time  we  reached  the  Palace  the  ladies  were  tired 
out,  and,  if  we  had  had  the  slightest  notion  of  what 
was  before  us,  anxiety  would  have  been  added  to 
fatigue. 


13* 


CHAPTER   XII 

WE  were  more  comfortable  in  the  royal 
apartments  than  might  have  been  expect- 
ed. Mr.  Hemster  had  brought  his  own 
cook  with  him,  together  with  the  Japanese  boy  to  wait 
on  us,  and  he  had  also  taken  the  precaution  to  bring  a 
week's  provisions,  so  that  in  spite  of  the  primitive  ar- 
rangements of  the  kitchen  placed  at  our  disposal  we 
fared  very  much  as  usual  so  far  as  the  cuisine  was  con- 
cerned. The  officials  made  no  complaint  at  this  reflec- 
tion on  their  hospitality;  in  fact,  they  rather  relished 
our  foresight,  because,  as  Hun  Woe  admitted  with 
great  simplicity,  it  enabled  them  to  charge  our  keep  to 
the  royal  exchequer  and  yet  incur  no  expense  in  pro- 
viding for  us.  A  system  which  admits  of  collection 
and  no  disbursements  is  heavenly  to  a  Corean  official. 
We  were  probably  at  the  outset  the  most  popular  party 
that  had  ever  lodged  in  the  royal  Palace. 

Our  first  dilemma  arose,  not  through  any  interfer- 
ence from  the  officers  of  the  Court,  but  because  of  cer- 
tain objections  which  Miss  Gertrude  Hemster  herself 
promulgated.  The  Prime  Minister  did  us  great  hon- 
our in  offering  to  coach  us  personally  regarding  the 
etiquette  that  surrounds  the  approach  to  the  throne.  It 
seemed  that  both  Emperor  and  Empress  were  to  re- 

132 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

ceive  us  in  state,  and  the  moment  we  came  in  sight  of 
their  Majesties  we  were  to  turn  our  faces  aside,  as  if 
dazzled  by  the  magnificence  before  us  and  the  glory 
conferred  upon  us  march  a  dozen  steps  to  the  left,  turn 
again,  march  a  dozen  steps  to  the  right,  bowing  ex- 
tremely low  at  each  evolution,  advancing,  with  great 
caution  and  humility,  never  more  than  two  steps  for- 
ward at  a  time,  approaching  the  throne  by  a  series  of 
crab-like  movements  and  coming  very  gradually  for- 
ward, zigzag  fashion,  until  we  stood  with  heads  hum- 
bly inclined  before  the  two  potentates.  My  translation 
of  all  this  caused  great  hilarity  on  the  part  of  Miss 
Hemster,  and  she  quite  shocked  the  genial  Prime  Min- 
ister by  giving  way  to  peal  after  peal  of  laughter.  Af- 
ter all,  he  was  a  dignified  man  and  did  not  regard  the 
ceremony  as  a  joke,  which  appeared  to  be  the  way  it 
presented  itself  to  the  young  lady. 

"  I  'm  not  going  through  any  of  that  nonsense,"  she 
exclaimed.  "  Does  he  think  I  intend  to  make  a  Wild 
West  show  of  myself?  If  he  does,  he  's  mistaken.  I  '11 
proceed  right  up  to  the  Emperor  and  shake  hands  with 
him,  and  if  he  does  n't  like  it  he  can  lump  it.  You 
translate  that  to  him,  Mr.  Tremorne." 

I  intimated  respectfully  to  the  young  woman  that 
Court  etiquette  was  Court  etiquette,  and  that  every- 
thing would  be  much  more  simple  if  we  fell  in  with  the 
ways  of  the  country.  This  marching  and  counter- 
marching was  no  more  absurd  than  our  own  way  of 
shaking  hands,  or  the  Pacific  Island  method  of  saluta- 
tion by  rubbing  noses. 

" '  When  in  Rome  do  as  the  Romans  do/  "  I  sug- 

133 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

gested;  but  this  expostulation  had  no  effect  whatever 
upon  the  determined  young  person,  who  became  more 
and  more  set  in  her  own  way  from  the  fact  that  her 
father  quietly  agreed  with  me.  Furthermore,  when  she 
learned  that  there  were  no  chairs  in  the  Royal  recep- 
tion-room, she  proclaimed  that  her  Japanese  attendant 
must  carry  a  chair  for  her ;  because,  if  the  Royal  pair 
were  seated,  she  insisted  on  being  seated  also.  I  was 
to  tell  "  His  Nibs," — by  which  expression  she  referred 
to  the  smiling  Prime  Minister, — that  she  belonged  to 
sovereign  America,  and  therefore  was  as  much  an  Em- 
press in  her  own  right  as  the  feminine  Majesty  of 
Corea. 

"  Miss  Hemster,"  said  I,  "  I  don't  know  whether 
what  you  wish  can  be  accomplished  or  not ;  but  in  any 
case  it  is  sure  to  cause  considerable  delay,  and,  further- 
more, it  will  probably  cost  your  father  a  very  large 
sum  of  money." 

I  speedily  saw  that  I  would  better  have  preserved  si- 
lence. The  young  lady  drew  herself  up  with  great 
dignity  and  flashed  upon  me  a  glance  of  withering  in- 
dignation. 

"  Will  you  oblige  me  by  minding  your  own  busi- 
ness ?  "  she  asked  harshly.  "  Your  duty  is  to  obey  or- 
ders, and  not  to  question  them." 

To  this,  of  course,  no  reply  was  possible,  so  I  con- 
tented myself  by  bowing  to  her,  and,  turning  to  Hun 
Woe,  who  stood  smiling  first  at  one  and  then  at  the 
other  of  us,  not  understanding  even  the  drift  of  our 
conversation,  but  evidently  growing  somewhat  uneasy 
at  the  tone  it  was  taking,  I  translated  to  him  as  well  as 

134 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  could  what  Miss  Hemster  had  said,  softening  the 
terms  as  much  as  possible,  and  laying  great  stress  on 
her  exalted  position  in  her  own  country,  of  which  land 
the  Prime  Minister  was  enormously  ignorant. 

Hun  Woe  became  extremely  grave;  and  his  smile, 
unlike  that  in  the  advertisement,  at  once  "  came  off." 

"  If  the  strenuous  Empress  of  China,"  said  I,  "  ar- 
rived at  Seoul  on  a  visit,  she  would  certainly  be  re- 
ceived by  His  Majesty  as  an  equal,  and  would  not  need 
to  go  through  the  ceremony  of  advance  which  you  have 
so  graphically  described.  Now  this  Princess,"  I  con- 
tinued, "  holds  herself  to  be  of  a  rank  superior  to  the 
Empress  of  China,  and  is  considered  of  higher  status 
by  her  own  countrymen." 

The  Prime  Minister  very  solemnly  shook  his  head 
and  seemed  much  disquieted. 

"  Her  father,"  I  continued  earnestly,  and  in  a  meas- 
ure truthfully,  "  maintains  a  much  larger  fleet  than 
China  possesses,  and  his  private  war-ship,  now  in  the 
waters  of  Corea,  is  grander  than  anything  that  empire 
ever  beheld,  much  less  owned.  His  territories  are  vast. 
Thousands  of  people, —  yes,  millions, —  pay  tribute  to 
him.  He  has  waged  commercial  war  against  those 
who  dared  to  dispute  his  authority,  and  has  invariably 
defeated  them.  His  revenue  exceeds  that  of  the  king- 
dom of  Corea  twice  over,  so  is  it  likely, — I  put  it  to 
you  as  man  to  man, — that  such  a  potentate  will  con- 
sent to  the  dozen  steps  this  way,  and  the  dozen  steps 
that?  His  only  daughter  is  the  Crown  Princess,  and 
will  be  heiress  to  all  his  powers  and  emoluments.  I 
pray  you,  therefore,  put  this  matter  in  its  right  light  be- 

135 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

fore  His  Majesty  of  Corea,  and  I  can  assure  you,  if  you 
succeed,  your  own  income  will  be  largely  augmented." 

This  speech  undoubtedly  impressed  the  Premier, 
who  bowed  low  to  Mr.  Hemster  and  his  daughter  time 
and  again  as  I  went  on.  The  girl's  anger  had  subsided 
as  quickly  as  it  had  risen,  and  she  watched  us  both  in- 
tently, seeming  at  first  to  doubt  that  I  translated  accu- 
rately what  I  had  been  so  curtly  ordered  to  say;  but 
as  our  conversation  went  on  the  increasing  deference 
of  the  Prime  Minister  showed  that  I  was  at  least  doing 
my  best.  The  old  gentleman,  too,  regarded  us 
shrewdly  from  under  his  bushy  eyebrows,  but  seemed 
rather  tired  of  the  game,  as  if  it  were  not  worth  such 
a  pow-wow.  He  evidently  wished  to  get  the  whole 
thing  over  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  return  to  the 
comforts  of  his  yacht,  and  in  this  I  entirely  sympathized 
with  him. 

The  Prime  Minister  replied  that  he  would  present 
the  new  facts  before  His  Majesty,  and  averred  that  if 
they  had  the  same  effect  upon  the  Emperor  of  Corea 
as  they  had  produced  upon  the  Prime  Minister  the  im- 
pediment would  be  speedily  removed.  He  assured  me 
I  could  count  on  his  utmost  endeavours  to  find  a  solu- 
tion for  the  unexpected  exigency,  and  I  was  well 
aware  that  my  tale  would  not  decrease  in  the  retelling. 
With  many  and  most  profound  obeisances  to  the  two 
Western  grandees,  the  Prime  Minister  took  his  depart- 
ure, and  I  accompanied  him  outside,  where  I  made 
him  a  payment  on  a  gold  basis. 

The  Royal  audience  had  been  appointed  for  two 
o'clock  of  the  afternoon  on  the  day  succeeding  our  ar- 

136 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

rival  at  Seoul,  but  this  new  question  that  had  arisen 
caused  the  ceremony  to  be  postponed,  much  to  my  an- 
noyance, for  I  knew  the  habitual  delay  of  these  people, 
especially  where  money  was  in  question,  and  I  feared 
that  the  inconvenient  assumption  of  dignity  on  the  part 
of  the  young-  woman  might  land  us  in  trouble  of  which 
neither  she  nor  her  father  had  the  least  appreciation. 
I  communicated  my  fears  of  delay  and  complications  to 
the  old  gentleman  when  I  got  him  alone,  hoping  he 
might  use  his  influence  with  his  daughter  to  modify 
what  seemed  to  me  her  ill-timed  assertion  of  high  rank ; 
but  Mr.  Hemster,  though  a  resourceful  man  in  every 
other  direction,  always  proved  a  broken  reed  so  far  as 
his  daughter  was  concerned,  and  he  pathetically  ad- 
mitted his  inability  to  curb  either  her  actions  or  her 
words. 

"  All  we  can  do,  Mr.  Tremorne,"  he  said,  "  is  to 
fork  over  the  cash.  Don't  you  spare  it.  I  can  see 
very  well  you  are  handling  this  situation  as  expertly  as 
a  ward  politician.  You  're  all  right.  If  you  can  talk 
to  this  here  King  as  you  talked  to  his  Prime  Minister, 
I  think  you  '11  fix  up  the  thing  in  five  minutes,  and  re- 
member this  is  a  game  of  bluff  in  which  there  is  no 
limit.  I  don't  restrict  you  in  the  cash  you  spend,  so 
go  ahead." 

And  this  indeed  proved  to  be  the  way  out  of  the 
muddle,  although  I  explained  to  him  that  too  lavish 
distribution  of  cash  was  not  without  its  own  danger. 
But  at  this  juncture  a  message  arrived  to  the  effect 
that  the  Prime  Minister  wished  to  see  me,  and  I  at  once 
departed  to  learn  what  had  been  the  outcome  of  his 

137 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

mediation.  I  found  that  he  had  made  little  progress, 
but  by  a  curious  coincidence  he  put  forth  the  same  sug- 
gestion previously  offered  by  Mr.  Hemster.  He  had 
arranged  a  conference  for  me  with  the  King,  and  ad- 
vised me,  as  Mr.  Hemster  had  done,  to  lay  it  on  thick. 
Hun  Woe  was  somewhat  encouraged  by  the  orders  he 
had  received  from  his  royal  master  in  regard  to  my 
audience.  The  King  would  receive  me  entirely  alone; 
not  even  his  Prime  Minister  was  to  be  present.  From 
this  condition  Hun  Woe  surmised  I  was  to  be  success- 
ful in  my  quest,  and  I  was  well  aware  that  this  unwit- 
nessed reception  of  me  was  as  much  contrary  to  Corean 
customs  as  was  the  proposal  Miss  Hemster  had  made. 

I  saw  his  Majesty  in  one  of  the  private  apartments 
of  the  Palace,  and  speedily  realized  that  he  did  not  care 
a  rap  what  honours  belonged  to  Mr.  Hemster.  The 
sinister,  shifty  eyes  of  his  Majesty  were  filled  with 
greed.  Never  was  there  such  a  picture  of  avarice  pre- 
sented to  me  as  the  countenance  of  the  King  showed. 
His  claw-like  hands  had  been  withdrawn  from  the 
voluminous  bell  sleeves  of  his  robe  of  red  silk  and  yel- 
low gold,  and  were  twitching  nervously  on  the  table 
before  him.  His  tremulous  attitude  of  uneasy  eager- 
ness reminded  me  of  the  Miser  in  the  "  Chimes  of  Nor- 
mandy." Impatiently  he  waved  aside  the  recital  touch- 
ing the  claims  of  my  employer  to  the  most- favoured- 
monarch  treatment,  and  gasped  out  the  Corean  equiva- 
lent for  "  How  much,  how  much  ?  " 

A  tangible  object-lesson  is  better  than  talk  even  in 
the  Orient;  so,  bringing  my  eloquence  to  an  abrupt 
conclusion,  I  drew  from  my  pocket  another  bag  of 

138 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

gold,  similar  in  weight  to  the  one  I  had  previously 
presented  to  him,  and,  seeing  he  was  impatient  for 
touch  as  well  as  for  sight,  undid  the  string  and  poured 
the  stream  of  shining  metal  discs  before  him  on  the 
table.  He  thrust  his  vibrant  hands  among  the  coins, 
and  gave  utterance  to  a  low  guttural  sound  of  satisfac- 
tion which  resembled  the  noise  made  by  a  pig  thrusting 
its  snout  into  a  trough  of  slops,  rather  than  any  ex- 
clamation I  had  ever  before  heard  from  human  lips.  I 
assured  him  that  no  word  of  all  this  would  be  spoken 
by  me,  and  promised  that  as  soon  as  the  conference 
was  safely  over  on  the  terms  that  Miss  Hemster  and 
her  father  had  laid  down,  a  similar  amount  would  be 
privately  paid  to  his  Royal  self  in  an  equally  secret 
manner;  and  so  my  mission  terminated  in  a  glorious 
success,  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  reception  should 
take  place  the  next  day  at  two  o'clock.  The  process 
was  costly,  but  effective;  and  effectiveness,  after  all, 
was  the  main  thing. 

I  reported  my  victory  to  Mr.  Hemster  and  his  daugh- 
ter, and  almost  immediately  after  this  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter came  in  to  offer  his  congratulations.  The  good 
man  had  seen  his  royal  master  for  a  few  moments,  and 
was  evidently  delighted  that  everything  was  going  on 
so  smoothly.  It  meant  money  in  his  pocket,  and  he 
was  becoming  rich  with  a  celerity  which  left  stock- 
exchange  speculations  far  in  the  rear.  He  had  re- 
ceived his  commands  regarding  next  day's  reception, 
and  the  Emperor  had  been  pleased  to  order  that  the 
audience  should  take  place  in  the  same  room  where  I 
had  seen  him,  with  none  of  the  nobles  of  the  Court 

139 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

present  except  the  Prime  Minister.  This  was  a  good 
example  of  his  Majesty's  craftiness.  The  Premier 
already  knew  that  the  etiquette  of  the  Court  was  to 
be  put  aside  for  the  occasion;  but  the  monarch 
had  no  desire  for  further  witnesses,  and  was  evident- 
ly not  going  to  set  a  precedent  in  the  realm  of 
Corea  that  might  produce  inconvenient  consequences 
thereafter. 

I  had  had  little  opportunity  of  talking  with  Miss 
Stretton  since  the  night  of  our  walk  on  deck, — the 
night  of  the  proposal,  as  I  called  it  to  myself,  as  amidst 
all  these  negotiations  I  kept  continually  thinking  of  it. 
Without  exactly  avoiding  me,  Miss  Stretton  never 
seemed  to  be  alone,  and  although  very  rarely  I  caught 
a  glance  of  her  eye  I  had  no  opportunity  of  private 
speech  with  her.  She  kept  very  much  in  the  back- 
ground and  was  more  than  usually  quiet  and 
thoughtful. 

We  had  dinner  early  that  night,  somewhere  about 
six  o'clock,  for  there  were  neither  candles  nor  lamps  in 
the  Palace,  and  if  we  waited  until  nightfall  we  had  to 
"  grope,"  as  Mr.  Hemster  termed  it.  In  spite  of  the 
success  of  her  plans,  Miss  Hemster  was  distinctly 
snappy  at  dinner,  if  I  may  use  such  a  term  regarding  a 
person  so  beautiful.  She  shut  me  up  most  effectually 
when  I  ventured  a  little  harmless  general  conversation, 
and  I  think  she  made  Miss  Stretton  feel  more  than 
usual  the  bitterness  of  a  dependent's  bread.  Mr.  Hem- 
ster said  nothing.  I  could  see  the  poor  old  gentleman 
was  hankering  for  a  daily  paper,  and  from  my  soul  I 
felt  sorry  for  him  as  he  listened  with  the  utmost  pa- 

140 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

tience  to  the  querulous  fault-findings  of  his  lovely 
daughter. 

Toward  the  end  of  dinner  something  that  was  said 
did  not  please  the  young  lady,  and  she  rose  abruptly 
and  left  the  table,  with  a  gesture  of  queenly  disap- 
proval of  us  all.  Anger  appeared  to  fill  her  as  elec- 
tricity fills  an  accumulator,  and  until  the  battery  was 
discharged  we  never  knew  who  would  suffer  the  next 
shock.  When  the  young  woman's  ill-temper  had  been 
aroused  by  my  opposition  earlier  in  the  day,  perhaps 
we  would  have  spent  a  pleasanter  evening  if  it  had 
been  allowed  to  run  its  course.  But  as  it  was  checked 
by  her  interest  in  the  negotiations  it  now  filtered  out 
in  very  palpable  discontent.  When  Miss  Stretton  arose 
to  leave  I  took  the  liberty  of  begging  her  to  remain. 

"  I  should  like  very  much,"  I  said,  "  to  show  you  the 
light  on  Nam-san." 

"  And  what  is  the  light  on  Nam-san  ?  "  she  asked, 
pausing  with  her  hand  on  the  back  of  the  chair. 

"  Beacons  are  lighted  all  along  the  coast  of  Corea, 
on  the  mountain  tops,"  I  replied,  "  so  that  peak  calls 
to  peak,  as  it  were;  and  the  last  one  to  be  lit  is  that 
on  Nam-san,  which  is  the  name  of  the  highest  moun- 
tain near  Seoul.  They  kindle  it  at  eight  o'clock,  and 
its  blazing  up  shows  that  the  kingdom  of  Corea  is 
safe  and  at  peace  with  the  world." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Miss  Stretton  after  a  pause ;  "  I 
will  return  here  about  ten  minutes  to  eight." 

She  was  as  good  as  her  word,  and  we  took  a  stroll 
together  in  the  great  courtyard  of  the  Palace,  which  is 
a  city  within  a  city.  The  gates  of  the  Palace  grounds 

141 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

were  now  closed  and  guarded,  and  we  could  not  have 
got  out  into  Seoul  if  we  had  wished  to  do  so.  But  it 
was  all  very  still  and  pleasant  in  the  broad  square  sur- 
rounded by  the  low,  strangely  roofed  buildings  that 
constituted  the  Palace.  We  saw  the  beacon  light  flash 
out  and  then  die  away.  I  cannot  remember  that  we 
talked  much,  but  there  was  a  calm  and  soothing  sense 
of  comradeship  between  us  that  was  very  comforting. 
She  told  me,  when  I  had  tried  to  warn  her  against  ex- 
pecting too  much  on  seeing  the  Emperor  next  day, 
that  she  did  not  intend  to  accompany  our  party,  and  I 
suspected  that  she  had  been  ordered  to  remain  away. 
Moreover  I  could  see  that  she  was  very  tired  of  it  all, 
and,  like  Mr.  Hemster,  wished  herself  back  in  her  own 
country. 


142 


CHAPTER   XIII 

SHORTLY  before  two  o'clock  the  next  day  the 
Prime  Minister  came  for  us,  and  conducted  us 
directly  to  the  Presence  Chamber,  instead  of 
taking  us  to  the  small  wooden  building,  containing  a 
table  and  some  chairs,  where  visitors  usually  had  to 
wait  until  the  Emperor's  messenger  arrived  with  or- 
ders permitting  an  advance  to  the  throne-room.  Our 
little  procession  consisted  of  four  persons, — Mr.  Hem- 
ster,  Miss  Hemster,  the  Prime  Minister,  and  myself. 
Hun  Woe  was  visibly  uneasy,  and  I  was  well  aware 
that,  in  spite  of  the  money  paid  him,  he  would  much 
rather  have  been  absent  from  the  ceremony.  In  East- 
ern lands  it  is  extremely  dangerous  for  a  Vizier  to  wit- 
ness a  Sultan's  humiliation,  and  the  Prime  Minister 
well  knew  that  although  the  Emperor  had  permitted 
the  deference  due  to  him  to  be  temporarily  annulled 
through  payment  of  gold,  he  might  nevertheless  con- 
sider it  desirable  to  eliminate  the  onlooker,  so  that  no 
record  of  this  innovation  were  left  on  the  earth. 

The  room  into  which  we  were  conducted  was  but 
indifferently  lighted.  It  was  oblong  in  shape,  and  a 
low  divan  ran  across  the  farther  end  of  it.  Four  very 
ordinary  wooden  chairs  had  been  placed  midway  be- 
tween the  door  and  the  divan. 

143 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Both  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress  were  seated, 
Oriental  fashion,  on  huge  cushions,  and  were  decked 
out  in  a  fashion  that  might  be  termed  tawdry  gor- 
geousness.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  strings  of  col- 
ored gems  that  hung  around  the  Empress  were  real  or 
imitation,  but  they  were  barbaric  in  size  and  glitter  and 
number.  The  Empress,  whom  I  had  never  seen  be- 
fore, sat  impassive,  with  eyes  half  closed,  as  if  she  were 
a  statue  of  the  feminine  Buddha.  During  the  whole 
of  the  exciting  interview  she  never  moved  or  showed 
the  slightest  sign  of  animation. 

The  Emperor's  ferret-like  eyes  glanced  shiftily  over 
the  advancing  party,  which  came  forward,  as  I  might 
say,  in  two  sections,  the  three  white  people  upright, 
and  the  Premier  bending  almost  double,  working  his 
way  toward  the  divan  by  zigzag  courses,  giving  one 
the  odd  notion  that  he  was  some  sort  of  wild  beast 
about  to  spring  upon  the  Emperor  when  he  arrived  at  a 
proper  position  for  the  pounce. 

The  twinkling  eyes  of  the  Emperor,  however,  speed- 
ily deserted  the  rest  of  our  party,  and  fixed  themselves 
on  Miss  Hemster,  who  moved  toward  him  with  grace- 
.ful  ease  and  an  entire  absence  of  either  fear  or  defer- 
ence. She  instantly  made  good  the  determination  she 
had  previously  expressed,  and,  gliding  directly  up  to 
him,  thrust  forward  her  hand,  which  the  Emperor 
seemed  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with.  His  eyes  were 
fastened  on  her  lovely  countenance,  and  there  broke  on 
his  lips  a  smile  so  grim  and  ghastly  that  it  might  well 
have  made  any  one  shudder  who  witnessed  it.  The 
bending  Prime  Minister  uttered  a  few  words  which  in- 

144 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

formed  the  Emperor  that  the  lady  wished  to  shake 
hands  with  him,  and  then  his  Majesty  took  his  own 
grimy  paws  from  out  of  the  great  bell  sleeves  in  which 
they  were  concealed,  and  with  his  two  hands  grasped 
hers.  Never  did  so  sweet  a  hand,  disappear  in  so  re- 
volting a  clutch,  and  the  young  woman,  evidently 
shocked  at  the  contact,  and  doubtless  repelled  by  the 
repulsiveness  of  the  face  that  leered  up  at  her,  drew 
suddenly  back,  but  the  clutch  was  not  relaxed. 

"  Let  me  go !  "  she  cried  breathlessly,  and  her  father 
took  an  impulsive  step  forward ;  but  before  he  reached 
her  the  Emperor  suddenly  put  forth  his  strength  and 
drew  the  young  woman  tumbling  down  to  the  divan 
beside  him,  grimacing  like  a  fiend  from  the  bottomless 
pit.  Little  he  recked  what  he  was  doing.  With  a 
scream  Miss  Hemster  sprang  up,  flung  out  her  right 
arm,  and  caught  him  a  slap  on  the  side  of  his  face  that 
sounded  through  the  hall  like  the  report  of  a  pistol. 
The  Prime  Minister,  with  a  shuddering  cry  of  horror, 
flung  himself  on  his  face,  and  grovelled  there  in  piteous 
pretence  of  not  having  seen  this  death-earning  insult 
which  the  Western  woman  had  so  energetically  be- 
stowed on  the  Eastern  potentate.  Hun  Woe's  open 
palms  beat  helplessly  against  the  wooden  planks,  as  if 
he  were  in  the  tremors  of  dissolution.  The  active 
young  woman  sprang  back  a  pace  or  two,  and,  if  a 
glance  could  have  killed,  the  look  with  which  she  trans- 
fixed his  Imperial  Majesty  would  have  brought  extinc- 
tion with  it. 

As  for  the  Emperor,  he  sat  there,  bending  slightly 
forward,  the  revolting  grimace  frozen  on  his  face,  and 

145 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

yet  his  royal  head  must  have  been  ringing  with  the 
blow  he  had  received.  The  Empress  sat  stolid,  as  if 
nothing  had  happened,  and  never  moved  an  eyelid. 
Then  his  Majesty,  casting  a  look  of  contempt  at  the 
huddled  heap  of  clothes  which  represented  the  Prime 
Minister,  threw  back  his  head  and  gave  utterance  to  a 
cackling  laugh  which  was  exceedingly  chilling  and  un- 
pleasant to  hear.  Meanwhile  the  young  lady  seated 
herself  emphatically  in  one  of  the  chairs,  with  a  sniff 
of  indignant  remonstrance. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  I  flatter  myself  I  have  taught 
one  nigger  a  lesson  in  good  manners.  He  '11  bear  the 
signature  of  my  fingers  on  his  cheeks  for  a  few  hours 
at  least" 

"  Madam,"  I  said  solemnly,  "  I  beg  you  to  restrain 
yourself.  Your  signature  is  more  likely  to  prove  a 
death-warrant  than  a  lesson  in  etiquette." 

"  Be  quiet,"  she  cried  angrily  to  me,  turning  toward 
me  a  face  red  with  resentment ;  "  if  there  is  no  one 
here  to  protect  me  from  insult  I  must  stand  up  for  my- 
self, and  you  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar  I  '11  do  it.  Do 
you  think  I  am  afraid  of  an  old  hobo  like  that  ?  " 

The  Emperor  watched  her  with  narrowing  eyes  as 
she  was  speaking,  and  it  really  seemed  as  if  he  under- 
stood what  she  said ;  for  again  he  threw  back  his  head 
and  laughed,  as  if  the  whole  thing  was  a  joke. 

"  Madam,"  said  I,  "  it  is  n't  a  question  of  fear  or  the 
lack  of  it,  but  merely  a  matter  of  common  sense.  We 
are  entirely  in  this  man's  power." 

"  He  dare  n't  hurt  us,"  she  interrupted  with  a  snap, 
"  and  he  knows  it,  and  you  know  it." 

146 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Hemster,  I  know  a  great 
deal  more  of  these  people  than  you  do.  No  Westerner 
can  predict  what  may  happen  in  an  Eastern  Court." 

"  Westerners  are  just  as  good  as  New  Yorkers,  or 
Londoners  either,  for  that  matter,"  cried  the  gentle 
Gertrude,  holding  her  head  high  in  the  air. 

"  You  mistake  me,  Miss  Hemster ;  I  am  speaking  of 
Europeans  as  well  as  of  Americans.  This  Emperor, 
at  a  word,  can  have  our  heads  chopped  off  before  we 
leave  the  room." 

"  Oh,  you  're  a  finicky,  babbling  old  woman,"  she 
exclaimed,  tossing  her  head,  "  and  just  trying  to 
frighten  my  father.  The  Emperor  knows  very  well 
that  if  he  laid  a  hand  on  us  the  United  States  would 
smash  his  old  kingdom  in  two  weeks." 

"  If  you  will  pardon  me,  madam,  the  Emperor  is 
quite  ignorant.  If  he  should  determine  to  have  us 
executed,  not  all  the  United  States  or  Britain  and  Eu- 
rope combined  could  save  us.  He  has  but  to  give  an 
order,  and  it  will  be  rigidly  obeyed  if  the  heavens 
fell  the  moment  after.  If  you  are  anxious  to  give  the 
Emperor  your  opinion  of  him,  all  I  beg  of  you  is  that 
you  wait  until  we  're  out  of  this  trap,  and  then  send  it 
to  him  on  a  picture  post-card.  Whatever  action  the 
Powers  might  subsequently  take  would  be  of  no  assist- 
ance to  us — when  we  are  executed." 

During  this  heated  conversation  the  Prime  Minister 
had  partly  risen  to  his  hands  and  knees,  although  he 
kept  his  head  hanging  down  until  it  nearly  touched  the 
floor.  The  Emperor  had  been  watching  Miss  Hem- 
ster's  animated  countenance,  and  he  seemed  greatly  to 

147 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

enjoy  my  evident  discomfiture.  Even  though  he  un- 
derstood no  word  of  our  language,  he  saw  plainly 
enough  that  I  was  getting  the  worst  of  the  verbal  en- 
counter. Now  the  gradual  uprising  of  the  Prime  Min- 
ister drew  his  attention  temporarily  to  this  grovelling 
individual,  and  he  spoke  a  few  words  to  him  which  at 
once  raised  my  alarm  for  the  safety  of  those  in  my 
care.  His  Majesty  had  evidently  forgotten  for  the  mo- 
ment that  I  understood  the  Corean  tongue.  Hun  Woe 
now  rose  to  his  feet,  kept  his  back  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees,  and,  without  turning  around,  began 
to  retreat  from  the  Imperial  presence.  I  at  once 
stepped  in  his  way,  and  said  to  the  Emperor  that  this 
command  must  not  go  forth,  whereupon  the  Majesty 
of  Corea  was  good  enough  to  laugh  once  more. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ? "  demanded  Miss 
Hemster.  "  You  must  translate  everything  that  is 
said ;  and,  furthermore,  you  must  tell  him  that  he  has 
to  apologize  to  me  for  his  insult  at  the  beginning." 

"  All  in  good  time,  Miss  Hemster." 

"  Not  all  in  good  time,"  she  cried,  rising  from  her 
chair.  "  If  you  don't  do  that  at  once,  I  '11  go  and  slap 
his  face  again." 

"  Please  believe  me,  Miss  Hemster,  that  you  have 
already  done  that  once  too  often.  I  assure  you  that 
the  situation  is  serious,  and  you  are  increasing  the  dan- 
ger by  your  untimely  interference." 

Before  she  could  reply,  a  roar  of  laughter  from  the 
Emperor,  who  wagged  his  head  from  side  to  side  and 
rocked  his  body  to  and  fro  in  his  glee,  drew  my  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  I  had  been  outwitted.  The  Prime 

148 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Minister,  taking  advantage  of  my  discussion  with  Miss 
Hemster,  had  scuttled  silently  away  and  had  disap- 
peared. I  fear  I  made  use  of  an  exclamation  to  which 
I  should  not  have  given  utterance  in  the  presence  ol  a 
lady;  but  that  lady's  curiosity,  overcoming  whatever 
resentment  she  may  have  felt,  clamoured  to  know 
what  had  happened. 

"  His  Majesty,"  said  I,  "  gave  orders  to  the  Prime 
Minister  doubly  to  guard  the  Palace  gates,  and  see  that 
no  communication  reached  the  outside  from  us.  It 
means  that  we  are  prisoners !  " 

All  this  time  I  had  not  the  least  assistance  from  the 
old  gentleman,  who  sat  in  a  most  dejected  attitude  on 
one  of  the  wooden  chairs.  I  had  remained  standing 
since  we  entered  the  room.  Now  he  looked  up  with 
dismay  on  his  countenance,  and  I  was  well  enough  ac- 
quainted with  him  to  know  that  his  fear  was  not  for 
himself  but  for  his  daughter. 

"  Will  you  tell  the  Emperor,"  he  said,  "  that  we  are 
armed,  and  that  we  demand  leave  to  quit  this  place  as 
freely  as  we  entered  it  ?  " 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Hemster,"  said  I,  "  that  we  had  better 
conceal  the  fact  that  we  have  arms, —  at  least  until  the 
Prime  Minister  returns.  We  can  keep  that  as  our 
trump  card." 

"  Will  you  please  do  exactly  what  my  father  tells 
you  to,"  snapped  the  young  woman  sharply. 

"  Hush,  Gertrude !  "  said  Mr.  Hemster.  Then,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  me :  "  Sir,"  he  added,  "  do  what- 
ever you  think  is  best." 

I  now  turned  to  the  Emperor,  and  made  the  speech 
149 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

of  my  life.  I  began  by  stating  that  Corea  had  been 
face  to  face  with  many  a  crisis  during  its  history,  but 
never  had  she  been  confronted  with  such  a  situation  as 
now  presented  itself.  Mr.  Hemster,  besides  being 
King,  in  his  own  right,  of  the  provision  market  in  Chi- 
cago, was  one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  formidable  country  would  spend  its  last 
sen  and  send  its  last  man  to  avenge  any  injury  done 
to  Mr.  Hemster,  or  the  Princess,  his  daughter.  I  as- 
serted that  the  United  States  was  infinitely  more  pow- 
erful than  Russia,  China,  and  Japan  added  together, 
with  each  of  whom  he  had  hitherto  chiefly  dealt.  This 
alone  would  be  bad  enough,  but  the  danger  of  the  situ- 
ation was  augmented  by  my  own  presence.  His  Ma- 
jesty might  perhaps  be  good  enough  to  remember  that 
the  last  time  I  had  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  I 
was  an  Envoy  of  a  country  which  had  probably  fought 
more  successful  battles  than  any  other  nation  in  exist- 
ence. Great  Britain  was  also  in  the  habit  of  avenging 
the  injuries  inflicted  on  her  subjects;  and  so,  if  the 
Emperor  was  so  ill-fated  as  to  incur  the  displeasure 
of  these  mighty  empires,  whose  united  strength  was 
sufficient  to  overawe  all  the  rest  of  the  earth,  he  would 
thus  bring  about  the  extinction  of  himself  and  of  his 
nation. 

I  regret  to  say  that  this  eloquence  was  largely  thrown 
away.  His  Majesty  paid  but  scanty  attention  to  my 
international  exposition.  His  fishy  eyes  were  fixed 
continually  on  Miss  Hemster,  who  now  and  then  made 
grimaces  at  him  as  if  she  were  a  little  schoolgirl,  once 
going  so  far  as  to  thrust  out  her  tongue,  which  action 

ISO 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

seemed  to  strike  the  Emperor  as  exceedingly  comic,  for 
he  laughed  uproariously  at  it. 

When  I  had  ceased  speaking  the  Emperor  replied 
in  a  few  words,  but  without  ever  taking  his  eyes  from 
the  girl.  I  answered  him, — or,  rather,  was  answering 
him, — when  Miss  Hemster  interrupted  impatiently: 

"  What  are  you  saying  ?  You  must  translate  as  you 
go  on.  I  wish  you -would  remember  your  position, 
Mr.  Tremorne,  which  is  that  of  translator.  I  refuse 
to  be  kept  in  the  dark  in  this  way." 

"  Gertie,  Gertie !  "  remonstrated  her  father.  "  Please 
do  not  interfere.  Mr.  Tremorne  will  tell  us  what  is 
happening  all  in  good  time." 

And  now  the  Emperor  himself,  as  if  he  understood 
what  was  being  said,  commanded  me  to  translate  to 
them  the  terms  he  had  laid  down. 

"  I  shall  try  to  remember  my  position,  Miss  Hem- 
ster," I  replied ;  "  and,  as  his  Majesty's  ideas  coincide 
with  your  own,  I  have  pleasure  in  giving  you  a  synop- 
sis of  what  has  passed." 

Then  I  related  my  opening  speech  to  the  Emperor, 
which  appeared  to  commend  itself  to  Mr.  Hemster, 
who  nodded  several  times  in  support  of  my  dissertation 
on  the  national  crisis. 

"  The  Emperor,"  I  continued,  "  has  made  no  com- 
ment upon  what  I  have  laid  before  him.  He  tells  us 
we  are  free  to  go, — that  is,  your  father  and  myself, — 
as  long  as  we  leave  you  here.  Not  to  put  too  fine  a 
point  to  it,  he  offers  to  buy  you,  and  says  he  will  make 
you  the  White  Star  of  his  harem,  which  he  seems  to 
think  is  rather  a  poetical  expression." 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Well,  of  all  the  gall ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Hemster, 
raising  her  hands  and  letting  them  fall  helplessly  into 
her  lap  again,  as  if  this  gesture  should  define  the  situa- 
tion better  than  any  words  she  had  at  her  command. 
"  You  inform  His  Nibs  that  I  am  no  White  Star  Line, 
and  you  tell  this  mahogany  graven  image  that  my 
father  can  buy  him  and  his  one-horse  kingdom  and 
give  them  away  without  ever  feeling  it.  When  he 
talks  of  buying,  just  inform  him  that  in  the  States  down 
South  we  used  to  sell  better  niggers  than  him  every  day 
in  the  week." 

I  thought  it  better  to  tone  down  this  message  some- 
what, and  in  doing  so  was  the  innocent  cause,  as  I  sus- 
pect, of  a  disaster  which  has  always  troubled  my  mind 
since  that  eventful  time.  I  said  to  the  Emperor  that 
American  customs  differed  from  those  of  Corea.  Miss 
Hemster,  being  a  Princess  in  her  own  rank,  of  vast 
wealth,  could  not  accept  any  position  short  of  that  of 
Empress,  and,  as  there  was  already  an  Empress  of 
Corea,  the  union  he  proposed  was  impossible.  I  re- 
iterated my  request  that  we  be  allowed  to  pass  down 
to  the  coast  without  further  molestation. 

This  statement  was  received  by  the  Emperor  with 
much  hilarity.  He  looked  upon  it  merely  as  an  effort 
on  my  part  to  enhance  the  price  of  the  girl,  and  ex- 
pressed his  willingness  to  turn  over  to  her  half  the 
revenues  of  the  kingdom.  He  seemed  to  imagine  he 
was  acting  in  the  most  lavishly  generous  manner,  and  I 
realized  the  hopelessness  of  the  discussion,  because  I 
was  face  to  face  with  a  man  who  had  never  been  re- 
fused anything  he  wished  for  since  he  came  to  the 

152 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

throne.  His  conceited  ignorance  regarding  the  power 
of  other  countries  to  enforce  their  demands  made  the 
situation  all  the  more  desperate. 

At  this  juncture  the  crouching  Prime  Minister  re- 
turned, made  his  way  slowly,  by  means  of  acute  angles, 
to  the  foot  of  the  throne,  and  informed  the  Emperor 
that  the  guards  of  the  Palace  had  been  doubled,  and 
had  received  instructions  to  allow  no  living  thing  to 
enter  or  leave  the  precincts  of  the  Court.  I  now  re- 
peated to  Hun  Woe  the  warning  I  had  so  fruitlessly 
proffered  to  the  Emperor,  but  I  doubt  if  the  satellite 
paid  much  more  attention  than  his  master  had  done. 
While  in  the  presence  he  seemed  incapable  of  either 
thought  or  action  that  did  not  relate  to  his  Imperial 
chief.  He  intimated  that  the  audience  was  now  fin- 
ished and  done  with,  and  added  that  he  would  have  the 
pleasure  of  accompanying  us  to  our  rooms.  It  seemed 
strange,  when  we  returned,  to  find  Miss  Stretton  sit- 
ting in  a  chair,  placidly  reading  a  book  which  she  had 
brought  with  her  from  the  yacht,  and  the  Japanese  boy 
setting  out  cups  for  tea  on  a  small  table  near  her. 
Miss  Stretton  looked  up  pleasantly  as  we  entered,  clos- 
ing her  book,  and  putting  her  finger  in  it  to  mark  the 
place. 

"  What  a  long  time  you  have  been,"  she  said ;  "  the 
conference  must  have  proved  very  successful." 

Miss  Gertrude  Hemster  paced  up  and  down  the 
room  as  if  energetic  action  were  necessary  to 
calm  the  perturbation  of  her  spirit.  As  the 
other  finished  her  remark  she  clenched  her  little  fist 
and  cried: 

153 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  '11  make  that  Emperor  sit  up  before  I  've  done 
with  him ! " 

I  thought  it  more  advisable  to  refrain  from  threats 
until  we  were  out  of  the  tiger's  den;  but  the  reticent 
example  of  Mr.  Hemster  was  upon  me,  and  I  said 
nothing.  Nevertheless  the  young  woman  was  as  good 
as  her  word. 


154 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  Hemsters  had  fallen  into  the  English 
habit  of  afternoon  tea,  and,  having  finished 
the  refreshing  cup,  I  excused  myself  and 
went  outside  to  learn  how  strict  the  cordon  around  us 
was  kept.  I  found  that  the  Prime  Minister  had  done 
his  work  well.  The  gates  were  very  thoroughly 
guarded,  and  short  of  force  there  seemed  to  be  no 
method  of  penetrating  into  the  city.  I  tried  bribery, 
desiring  to  get  a  short  note  through  to  the  British 
Consul-General,  and,  although  my  bribe  was  willingly 
accepted,  I  found  later  that  the  missive  was  never  sent. 
Rambling  around  the  vast  precincts  of  the  Palace, 
trying  to  discover  any  loophole  of  escape,  I  came  upon 
our  escort  and  the  ponies  which  had  brought  us  from 
the  port  to  the  capital.  These  had  been  gathered  up  in 
the  city  and  taken  inside.  I  could  not  decide  at  the  mo- 
ment whether  this  move  on  the  part  of  our  gaolers 
strengthened  or  weakened  our  position.  The  escort 
was  composed  of  a  very  poor  set  of  creatures  who 
would  prove  utterly  valueless  if  the  crisis  developed 
into  a  contest.  They  were  all  huddled  together  under 
a  shed,  and  were  very  evidently  in  a  state  of  hopeless 
panic.  They  knew  intuitively  that  things  were  going 
badly  with  us,  and  it  needed  no  prophet  to  foretell  that 

155 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

they  would  instantly  betra;  us  if  they  got  the  chance, 
or  cut  our  throats  if  they  were  ordered  to  do  so.  I 
deeply  regretted  now  that  we  had  not  stayed  longer  at 
Chemulpo  until  we  had  gathered  together  an  escort 
composed  entirely  of  Japanese.  Two  Japanese  fol- 
lowers were  among  our  crowd,  and  they  now  stood 
apart  with  the  imperturbable  nonchalance  of  their  race. 
I  was  aware  that  I  could  depend  upon  them  to  the 
death;  but  the  rest  were  the  very  scum  of  the  East, 
cowardly,  unstable  as  water,  and  as  treacherous  as 
quicksand.  I  spoke  a  few  words  of  encouragement  to 
the  Japanese,  patted  the  ponies,  and  then  returned  to 
Mr.  Hemster.  I  told  him  I  had  endeavoured  to  send  a 
note  to  the  British  representative  in  Seoul,  and  to  my 
amazement  found  that  he  did  not  approve  of  this  move. 
"  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Tremorne,  we  have  acted  like  a 
parcel  of  fools,  and  if  this  thing  ever  gets  out  we  shall 
be  the  laughing-stock  of  the  world.  I  don't  want 
either  the  American  or  the  British  Consul  to  know  any- 
thing of  our  position.  God  helps  those  who  help  them- 
selves. I  don't  want  to  boast  at  all,  but  I  may  tell  you 
I  'm  a  dead  shot  with  a  revolver,  and  I  have  one  of  the 
best  here  with  me,  together  with  plenty  of  cartridges. 
This  expertness  with  a  gun  is  a  relic  of  my  old  cowboy 
days  on  the  plains,  and  if  these  here  Coreans  attempt 
to  interfere  with  me,  somebody  is  going  to  get  hurt. 
You  have  another  revolver,  and  if  you  are  any  good 
with  it  I  guess  we  '11  have  no  difficulty  in  forcing  our 
way  through  this  flock  of  sheep.  Have  you  learned 
whether  your  two  Japanese  can  shoot  or  not  ?  If  they 
can,  I  've  got  revolvers  here  for  them,  and  it  seems  to 

156 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

me  that  four  of  us  can  put  up  a  bluff  that  will  carry  us 
through  this  tight  place.  If  it  was  n't  that  we  have 
women  with  us,  I  would  n't  mind  the  encounter  in  the 
least.  As  it  is,  we  '11  have  to  do  the  best  we  can,  and  I 
propose  that  we  start  to-morrow  as  soon  as  the  gates 
are  opened." 

"  All  right,  Mr.  Hemster,  I  believe  your  diagnosis 
of  the  case  is  correct.  I  can  trust  the  Japanese,  and  I 
think  I  may  say  you  can  trust  me." 

A  little  later  in  the  day,  the  Prime  Minister,  accom- 
panied by  an  imposing  following,  came  to  me,  and  with 
much  circumlocution  made  formal  proposal  of  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Hemster  on  behalf  of  the  Emperor  of 
Corea.  The  misguided  man  appeared  to  think  that 
this  smoothed  away  all  difficulty,  and  that  the  only 
question  now  to  be  settled  was  the  amount  of  money 
the  honoured  lady's  father  would  pay  down  as  dowry. 
Hun  Woe  fatuously  ventured  to  hope  that  it  would  be 
large  in  proportion  to  the  elevation  in  station  which 
awaited  the  young  lady.  I  replied  that  Mr.  Hemster 
considered  himself  equal  in  rank,  and  greatly  superior 
in  wealth  and  power,  to  the  Emperor  of  Corea;  that 
he  was  now  practically  held  prisoner  in  the  Palace; 
therefore,  if  negotiations  were  to  continue,  he  must  be 
set  free,  and  allowed  to  return  to  his  own  battleship, 
in  which  I  should  be  happy  to  carry  on  the  discussion 
in  a  manner  which  I  hoped  would  prove  satisfactory 
to  all  parties  concerned. 

The  Prime  Minister  replied  that  what  I  proposed 
was  impossible.  The  Emperor  was  completely  infatu- 
ated with  Miss  Hemster,  and  only  as  a  great  conces- 

157 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

sion, — due,  Hun  Woe  said,  to  his  own  pleadings,  which 
he  hoped  would  be  remembered  when  settlements  were 
made, — did  his  Majesty  consent  to  a  marriage.  The 
Prime  Minister  continued  with  many  professions  of 
friendship  for  myself,  urging  me  therefore,  as  he  pre- 
tended to  have  urged  the  Emperor,  to  put  myself  in  a 
reasonable  frame  of  mind.  He  had  never  known  the 
Emperor  so  determined  in  any  course  of  action  before, 
and  lack  of  compliance  on  the  part  of  our  company 
would  do  no  good,  and  might  lead  to  irretrievable  dis- 
aster. The  Emperor  had  resolved,  if  his  offer  were  re- 
fused, to  seize  the  young  lady,  and  to  behead  her  father, 
myself,  and  the  whole  party  who  accompanied  her.  He 
therefore  trusted  humbly  that  I  would  not  thwart  his 
efforts  toward  an  amicable  understanding. 

I  said  he  must  surely  have  mistaken  his  instructions ; 
the  barbarous  programme  he  had  proposed  would  shock 
the  civilized  world.  He  answered,  with  a  shrug  of  his 
shoulders,  that  the  civilized  world  would  never  hear 
of  it.  I  averred  he  was  mistaken  in  this,  telling  him 
I  had  already  communicated  with  my  Consul,  and  his 
reply  to  this  was  to  pull  from  his  sleeve  the  hasty  note 
I  had  written  and  bribed  the  man  at  the  gate  to  deliver. 
This  man,  he  said,  had  at  once  brought  the  communica- 
tion to  him,  and  he  hoped  I  would  acknowledge  the 
fruitlessness  of  further  opposition. 

I  quickly  saw  that  we  were  in  a  predicament,  and 
that  it  would  need  all  my  diplomacy  to  find  a  means  of 
egress.  However,  I  determined  first  to  impress  upon 
Hun  Woe  the  dangers  of  the  plan  he  had  outlined. 
If  the  Emperor  did  what  he  proposed  to  do,  that  would 

158 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

bring  upon  Corea  the  irretrievable  disaster  of  invasion 
by  both  the  United  States  and  England.  It  was  not 
possible  to  keep  assassinations  secret.  Mr.  Hemster's 
great  steamship  was  at  this  moment  awaiting  him  at 
Chemulpo.  If  no  one  returned,  the  captain  of  that 
boat  had  orders  to  communicate  at  once  with  both  the 
British  and  the  American  authorities.  I  endeavored 
to  flatter  Hun  Woe  by  telling  him  that  an  official  of  his 
great  learning  and  intelligence  must  realize  what  the 
result  would  be.  The  good  man  sighed,  but  in  the 
presence  of  his  entourage  apparently  had  not  the  cour- 
age to  admit  that  Corea  would  come  badly  out  of  the 
encounter.  In  fact,  he  said  that  the  Emperor  could 
defend  his  country  against  the  combined  forces  of  the 
world;  but  whether  he  believed  this  or  not,  I  should 
hesitate  to  say. 

I  now  changed  my  tactics,  and  told  the  Prime  Min- 
ister that  I  was  merely  Ambassador  for  Mr.  Hemster, 
and  that  I  would  inform  him  of  the  offer  the  Emperor 
had  made.  It  was  more  than  likely,  I  asserted,  that 
the  proposal  would  be  extremely  gratifying  to  him ;  so 
we  would  postpone  further  consideration  until  he  had 
time  to  think  over  the  matter.  I  further  suggested 
that  we  should  have  another  interview  with  the  Em- 
peror at  the  same  hour  next  day,  and  with  this  the 
Prime  Minister  joyously  concurred.  To  assist  the  ne- 
gotiations he  told  me  that  the  Emperor  had  referred 
to  my  objection  of  an  existing  Empress,  but  means 
would  be  found  to  divorce  that  august  lady,  and  this  he 
wished  me  to  place  before  Mr.  Hemster  and  his  daugh- 
ter. He  seemed  to  imagine  that  thus  had  been  re- 

159 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

moved  the  last  obstacle  to  the  proposed  union,  and  I 
said  I  would  put  all  this  in  the  most  favourable  light 
before  Mr.  Hemster.  The  conference  which  had  be- 
gun so  tempestuously  therefore  ended  in  a  calm  that 
was  extremely  gratifying  to  the  Prime  Minister,  who 
quite  evidently  hoped  that  everybody  would  be  reason- 
able, that  the  flow  of  gold  should  not  cease,  and  that 
the  contest  might  end  happily.  So,  with  many  ges- 
tures and  expressions  of  deep  regard  for  myself  and 
my  companions,  the  distinguished  party  withdrew. 

I  was  anxious  to  see  Mr.  Hemster  alone,  so  that  I 
might  communicate  to  him  the  result  of  my  interview 
with  the  Prime  Minister,  but  this  intention  was  frus- 
trated. Gertrude  Hemster  had  nothing  whatever  to 
occupy  her  mind,  and  the  adage  informs  us  that  mis- 
chief is  provided  for  all  such  persons.  She  was  al- 
ready aware  that  this  gorgeous  deputation  had  waited 
upon  me,  and  it  required  all  her  father's  persuasion  to 
keep  her  from  breaking  in  upon  us  and  learning  what 
was  going  on.  The  curiosity  of  woman  has  before 
now  wrecked  many  promising  undertakings,  and  this 
threatened  to  be  the  fate  of  Mr.  Hemster's  plan.  The 
young  lady  was  frank  enough  to  say  that  she  believed 
me  to  be  playing  a  double  game ;  not  interpreting  cor- 
rectly the  message  of  the  Emperor  or  the  sayings  of  the 
Prime  Minister.  She  refused  to  incur  the  risk  of  a 
forced  exit  from  the  Palace,  and  was  sure  that  if  the 
Emperor  was  rightly  spoken  to  we  would  all  be  al- 
lowed to  march  to  the  port  with  a  royal  escort  and 
the  honours  of  war.  She  insisted  that  if  I  were  not  a 
coward  I  would  myself  brave  the  dangers  of  the  exit, 

160 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

go  to  the  American  Consulate,  and  there  get  an  inter- 
preter who  would  be  official,  and  also  bring  the  Consul 
himself.  She  was  not  going  to  be  frightened  out  of 
Seoul  by  a  mud-colored  heathen  like  the  Emperor,  and 
if  only  we  had  treated  him  as  she  had  done,  there 
would  have  been  no  trouble. 

I  must  admit  that  I  agreed  with  the  girl  so  far  as 
calling  in  the  aid  of  the  American  Consul  was  con- 
cerned, and  I  told  her  I  was  quite  willing  to  force  the 
gate  and  make  a  run  for  it  to  the  little  spot  of  the 
United  States  which  existed  in  Seoul.  But  her  father 
could  be  a  determined  man  when  he  liked,  and  this  time 
he  put  down  his  foot,  declaring  firmly  that  he  would 
not  have  the  news  of  this  fiasco  get  abroad  if  he  could 
help  it.  Curiously  enough,  Mr.  Hemster  seemed  to 
have  more  fear  of  the  yellow  press  of  America 
than  of  the  yellow  man  of  Corea.  His  daughter,  how- 
ever, feared  neither,  and  seemed  in  fact  to  relish  the 
publicity  which  this  episode  might  give  to  her. 
Whether  it  was  bravery  or  recklessness  on  her  part,  I 
could  not  get  her  to  see  that  we  were  in  any  serious 
danger;  but  this  did  not  matter,  for  on  appeal  to  her 
father  to  postpone  the  proposed  exodus  he  proved 
adamant,  and  for  once  the  young  lady  was  forced  to 
acquiesce. 

I  took  the  pair  of  extra  pistols,  and,  with  ample  am- 
munition, sought  out  the  two  Japanese  members  of  our 
party.  I  found  that  both  of  them  had  served  in  the 
Japanese  army  and  were  quite  capable  of  handling 
firearms  with  effect.  I  then  told  them  to  say  nothing 
to  their  Corean  comrades,  but,  as  soon  as  the  gates  were 

161 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

open  in  the  morning,  to  bring  ponies  for  the  whole  party 
to  our  door.  The  manner  in  which  they  carried  out 
this  order  showed  their  alertness  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  situation. 

When  we  all  emerged  in  the  morning, —  we  four 
white  people,  our  Chinese  cook  and  Japanese  serving- 
boy, — ten  ponies  were  at  our  door,  two  of  them  being 
loaded  down  with  heavy  strings  of  cash  which  we  had 
not  found  occasion  to  use,  because  our  dealings  had 
been  entirely  with  higher  classes  and  so  we  had  had  to 
employ  silver  and  gold.  But  only  one  Japanese  man 
was  there.  When  I  asked  him  where  the  other  fellow 
was,  he  replied  he  was  holding  a  revolver  over  the 
huddled  heap  of  Coreans  so  that  they  would  not  give 
the  alarm.  As  soon  as  we  were  mounted,  he  said  he 
would  call  his  comrade,  who  would  instantly  respond. 

This  proved  a  very  wise  precaution,  and  gave  us 
some  valuable  minutes  before  the  Palace  was  roused. 
We  had  arrived  at  the  gates  ere  the  sleepy  guards  real- 
ized what  was  upon  them,  and  the  first  warning  the 
Palace  received  of  our  attempt  was  the  wild  firing  of 
the  useless  muskets  which  the  guards  possessed.  We 
had  determined  not  to  shoot,  hoping  that  the  guards 
would  give  way  when  they  found  we  were  resolved  to 
emerge ;  but  their  reckless  firing,  which  luckily  did  no 
harm  to  any  of  our  party,  made  any  further  attempt 
at  silence  unnecessary,  and  lucky  it  was  for  us  that  we 
were  free  to  fire,  because  Mr.  Hemster  whipped  out 
his  revolver  at  once  and  shattered  the  hand  of  a  man 
who  attempted  to  close  the  gates.  This  wounded  crea- 
ture set  up  such  a  howl  that  the  guards  immediately 

162 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

threw  down  their  arms  and  fled,  leaving  the  way  clear 
before  us. 

Now  we  were  in  the  main  street  of  Seoul,  and  if  it 
had  not  been  for  Mr.  Hemster's  prohibition  I  would 
strongly  have  advised  making  directly  for  the  Con- 
sulate of  either  one  nation  or  the  other.  However, 
his  orders  were  to  press  on  to  the  western  gate  before 
the  alarm  should  extend  through  the  city.  This  we 
did.  Now  that  we  were  clear  of  the  royal  gates,  the 
guards  seemed  to  have  resumed  their  firearms  and  were 
evidently  determined  to  make  the  Emperor  believe  that 
they  had  been  extremely  valorous,  for  a  regular  fusil- 
lade greeted  our  departure  down  the  main  street  of 
Seoul.  Whatever  commotion  the  firing  may  have 
aroused  in  the  Palace,  it  certainly  had  an  extraordinary 
effect  upon  the  city  itself,  for  it  caused  the  population 
to  pour  in  thousands  from  the  narrow  lanes  with  which 
this  human  warren  is  intersected.  There  seemed  a 
danger  that  we  might  be  stopped  by  the  mere  pressure 
of  the  crowd,  so  I  gave  the  word  to  whip  up  our  steeds, 
and  we  dashed  along,  regardless  of  whom  we  knocked 
over. 

Just  as  we  reached  the  gate  on  the  Chemulpo  road 
the  great  bell  began  to  ring,  the  bell  which  every  night 
at  sunset  orders  the  closing  of  the  gates.  The  big 
doors  were  being  slowly  closed  as  we  approached,  and 
here  my  two  Japanese  again  gave  striking  proof  of 
their  value.  They  dashed  forward,  and,  in  spite  of  the 
ringing  of  the  bell,  ordered  the  guards  to  fling  wide  the 
portal,  but  upon  the  guards  showing  some  hesitation, 
the  foremost  Japanese  at  once  shot  one  of  them  in  his 

163 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

tracks,  whereupon  the  rest  fled.  We  squeezed  through, 
and  the  Japanese  proposed  we  should  close  the  gates 
completely,  so  that  the  crowd  might  be  kept  in,  but 
this  proved  impossible,  because  they  could  be  fastened 
only  on  the  inside,  and  we  had  no  means  of  assuring 
ourselves  that  the  gates  would  remain  shut.  There 
was  therefore  nothing  for  it  but  a  race  for  Chemulpo, 
twenty-six  miles  away.  Before  we  had  gone  a  dozen 
yards  the  pressure  of  the  crowd  opened  the  gates  wide, 
and  the  howling  mob  poured  through  like  a  resistless 
torrent. 

I  now  re-arranged  my  party,  asking  Mr.  Hemster  to 
take  the  lead,  while  the  two  Japanese  and  myself  fought 
a  retreating  battle  with  the  multitude  that  followed  us. 
The  Corean  man  is  a  stalwart  individual  with  sturdy 
legs  that  are  almost  untiring  in  a  race.  While  cowards 
individually,  they  become  dangerous  in  the  mass,  and 
I  continually  urged  our  people  to  gallop  as  hard  as  they 
could,  with  the  double  purpose  of  exhausting  all  but 
the  most  strenuous  in  our  pursuit,  and  of  preventing 
the  outskirts  of  the  mob  on  either  hand  from  out- 
flanking us.  For  the  first  three  miles  or  so  our  re- 
volver-shots kept  them  at  a  respectful  distance,  but 
after  five  or  six  miles  had  been  accomplished,  and  the 
crowd  showed  no  signs  of  fatigue,  while  our  ammuni- 
tion began  to  run  low,  I  realized  that  I  must  do  some- 
thing to  save  the  rest  from  capture. 

Leaving  the  two  Japanese  as  an  efficient  rearguard, 
I  galloped  forward  to  Mr.  Hemster,  and  gave  him  de- 
tails of  my  plan,  which  I  had  some  difficulty  in  getting 
him  to  accept.  In  fact  he  did  accept  it  only  on  my 

164 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

assurance  that  there  was  no  real  danger  to  myself. 
Bidding  a  hasty  farewell  to  the  ladies,  I  dropped  again 
to  the  rear.  Each  of  the  Japanese  had  tethered  to  his 
horse's  bridle  a  rope  attached  to  a  pony  carrying  our 
strings  of  cash.  I  untied  these  ponies,  and  attached 
them  to  my  own  mount,  ordering  the  Japanese  to  take 
the  van  once  more;  and,  as  they  were  residents  of 
Chemulpo,  and  therefore  knew  the  road  perfectly,  I 
told  them  to  lead  the  party  as  quickly  as  they  could  into 
safety,  promising  them  a  large  additional  reward  for 
doing  so. 

The  rest  now  galloped  on,  leaving  me  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  with  three  horses  under  my  charge. 
The  bellowing  mob  seemed  nonplussed  by  this  move- 
ment, and,  apparently  fearing  a  trap  of  some  kind, 
came  to  a  halt.  There  was  not  bravery  enough  among 
them  even  to  attack  one  man  at  close  quarters,  although 
they  might  have  overwhelmed  him  by  simply  moving 
in  bulk  upon  him.  Each  of  the  two  led-horses  car- 
ried something  like  twenty  thousand  sek,  strung  in 
ropes  of  five  hundred  each,  so  knotted  that  the  cash 
is  divided  into  sections  of  a  hundred  each.  I  took  my 
pocket-knife  and  cut  off  the  first  knot,  and,  grasping 
the  two  ends  of  the  string,  flung  it  lasso-wise  around 
my  head,  and  then  let  go  the  cut  end,  causing  the  hun- 
dred cash  to  shoot  into  the  air  like  the  bursting  of  a 
sky-rocket.  These  people,  after  all,  were  merely  like 
children  with  two  dominant  qualities,  a  love  of  cruelty, 
and  an  unlimited  avarice, —  possibly  avarice  has  the 
greatest  hold  upon  their  affections,  and  this  belief  was 
the  basis  of  my  adventure. 

165 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Now  ensued  the  strangest  battle  that  ever  was  fought 
by  mankind,  a  struggle  which  Mr.  Hemster  himself 
should  have  appreciated  because  he  had  engaged  in  it 
time  and  again  in  his  own  country,  a  battle  in  which 
one  man  with  money  stood  against  the  bulk  of  the 
people.  When  the  shower  of  a  hundred  cash  was  flung 
above  the  heads  of  the  mob  there  ensued  one  of  the 
wildest  struggles  it  has  ever  been  my  fate  to  witness. 
I  cut  the  second  knot,  and  flung  the  second  lot  of  cash 
far  to  the  left,  to  check  the  advance  of  the  crowd  that 
way,  which  it  very  effectually  did.  Then  the  third 
knot  was  severed,  and  the  third  lot  of  coins  went  spin- 
ning through  the  air  to  the  right.  Even  before  the 
first  string  was  gone,  my  party  had  long  since  disap- 
peared toward  the  west.  Of  course  this  congregation 
of  heathens  could  have  availed  themselves  at  once  of 
my  whole  available  stock  by  merely  pressing  forward, 
but  this  thought  either  never  occurred  to  them,  or  they 
were  too  cowardly  to  put  it  into  practice.  As  soon  as 
the  flung  cash  was  secured  and  the  scattered  stock 
picked  up,  two  and  two  fighting  for  the  possession  of 
one  miserable  coin,  a  shout  arose  from  them  which  was 
the  cry  of  Oliver  Twist  for  "  more."  And  so  I  played 
David  against  that  Goliath  of  a  crowd  until  I  began 
to  fear  that  my  arm  which  whirled  the  sling  would  be- 
come helpless  through  exhaustion. 

My  idea  had  been,  of  course,  to  put  the  whip  to  my 
horse  and  make  for  the  port  after  my  party,  but  very 
soon  this  project  proved  to  be  impossible.  I  was  stand- 
ing on  a  slight  elevation  in  the  road,  and,  in  spite  of  my 
throwing  the  coins  right  and  left,  the  two  wings  of  this 

166 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

tatterdemalion  army  gradually  enfolded  me,  and  before 
my  fortune  was  more  than  half  scattered  I  found  my- 
self completely  outflanked  and  surrounded.  But  no 
one  made  a  dash ;  there  was  left  a  respectable  circular 
clear  space  about  me,  the  circumference  of  which  was 
never  nearer  than  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  where  I 
stood.  Moreover  I  was  thankful  to  see  that  even  those 
to  the  west,  who  had  a  free  way  toward  Chemulpo,  did 
not  attempt  to  break  toward  the  coast.  They  were  all  too 
eager  to  get  a  share  of  the  spoil  to  mind  what  became 
of  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  by  the  time  we  had  been 
an  hour  or  more  at  this  flinging  of  largesse  every  indi- 
vidual of  them  knew  that  pursuit  was  hopeless,  and  by 
the  same  token  I  knew  also  that  the  least  danger  threat- 
ening me  was  being  carried  back  to  Seoul.  The  crowd 
had  become  riotously  good  natured,  but  I  knew  their 
changeableness  too  well  to  consider  myself  safe  on  that 
account.  They  were  as  like  as  not  to  take  me  back  to 
Seoul  in  a  hundred  pieces.  I  began  to  think  seriously 
of  the  future  when  I  came  to  the  last  string  of  cash 
on  the  pony  beside  me.  There  was  still  twenty  thousand 
on  the  other  nag;  but,  when  that  was  gone,  this  mob, 
which  had  no  sense  of  gratitude,  were  as  like  to  cut  my 
throat  as  not.  So  when  I  came  to  the  last  hundred 
sek  on  the  first  pony,  scattered  like  grape-shot  through 
the  air,  I  took  advantage  of  the  struggle  that  ensued  to 
remount  my  own  nag.  There  was  at  once  a  howl  of 
rage  at  this,  especially  from  those  to  the  west  of  me, 
who  expected  me  to  attempt  escape  in  that  direction. 
They  stiffened  up,  and  shook  fists  and  sticks  at  this 
supposed  intention  on  my  part  to  cheat  them  of  their 

167 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

just  dues.  Never  since  the  Corean  kingdom  was 
founded  had  there  been  such  a  distribution  of  wealth 
as  was  now  taking  place.  Heretofore  the  office-holders 
had  accumulated  everything  in  sight,  and  naturally  the 
populace  was  indignant  that  this  enchanting  scattering 
of  money  should  cease  while  there  was  still  a  horse- 
load  of  it  within  reach.  I  raised  my  right  hand  for 
silence,  and  then  raised  my  voice  and  addressed  them : 
"  Gentlemen,"  said  I,  "  the  next  hurling  of  coin  takes 
place  at  the  gates  of  Seoul.  If  you  are  good  enough 
to  march  quietly  with  me,  I  shall  relieve  the  tedium  of 
the  way  by  an  occasional  contribution.  So,  my  braves, 
let  us  get  back  to  the  capital." 

Capital  was  what  they  were  after,  and  so  with  a 
howl,  which  was  their  nearest  approach  to  a  cheer,  we 
set  off  for  Seoul.  Tired  as  my  arm  was,  I  occasionally 
distributed  five  hundred  cash  before  and  behind  me, 
also  to  the  right  and  left,  keeping  steadily  on,  however, 
until  the  city  was  in  sight.  Then  to  my  dismay,  I  saw 
that  the  great  gate  was  closed.  The  mob  ahead  of  me 
had  noticed  the  barred  gate  before  I  did,  and  set  up  a 
wail  like  a  lot  of  lost  children.  Instantly  the  cash  dis- 
tribution was  forgotten,  and  panic  seized  them.  They 
were  locked  out,  and  no  one  knew  what  might  be  hap- 
pening inside.  The  tolling  of  the  big  bell  still  boomed 
through  the  air,  but  only  occasionally,  bearing  some 
resemblance  to  a  funeral  knell.  Because  the  gate  was 
shut  these  people  had  not  reasoning  powers  enough  to 
surmise  that  the  other  gates  were  shut  also,  and  in  a 
magic  way  the  huge  mob  began  to  dissolve  and  disap- 
pear, scampering  over  rocks  and  stones  to  find  out 

168 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

whether  the  whole  city  was  hermetically  sealed  or  not. 
There  was  a  group  of  people  on  the  wall  above  the 
gate,  and  someone  had  shouted  that  the  northern  port 
was  open.  This  statement  was  undoubtedly  false,  but 
the  official  who  cried  it  evidently  thought  it  was  safer 
to  dismiss  the  mob  as  he  could.  In  a  few  minutes  I 
found  myself  practically  alone,  and  then  was  amazed 
beyond  measure  to  hear  a  voice  from  above  the  gate 
call  down  to  me : 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  Tremorne,  is  that  you?  " 


CHAPTER   XV 

I  LOOKED  up,  and  saw  leaning  toward  me  Wal- 
lace Carmichel,  the  British  Consul-General  in 
Seoul,  an  efficient  man  whom  I  had  not  met  for 
five  years,  when  he  was  in  the  Embassy  at  Pekin.  At 
once  there  flashed  through  my  mind  Mr.  Hemster's 
desire  that  I  should  not  mention  our  plight  to  the  Con- 
suls of  either  his  country  or  my  own,  so  I  resolved  on 
the  instant  to  keep  to  myself,  if  possible,  the  mission 
that  had  brought  me  to  the  capital.  Indeed  within  the 
last  few  minutes  the  whole  situation  had  changed.  I 
had  no  desire  to  return  to  Seoul,  and  only  retreated  be- 
cause I  was  compelled  to  do  so ;  but  now  the  way  was 
perfectly  clear  between  me  and  Chemulpo  on  turning 
my  horse  around.  Yet  Carmichel  would  think  it  ex- 
ceedingly strange  if  I  could  not  give  some  excuse  for 
marching  up  to  the  gate  of  Seoul  and  marching  down 
again,  like  the  historical  general  on  the  hill.  I  wished 
he  had  remained  at  his  Consulate,  yet  there  he  was, 
beaming  down  upon  me,  so  I  took  momentary  refuge 
in  airy  persiflage. 

"Hullo,  Carmichel,  how  goes  it?  Has  the  early- 
closing  movement  been  adopted  in  Seoul  ?  It  is  n't 
Saturday  afternoon,  is  it?  " 

"  No,  it  is  n't,"  he  replied,  "  and  if  you  '11  take  the 
advice  of  an  old  friend,  you  '11  turn  your  horse's  head, 

170 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

and  make  straight  back  for  Chemulpo.    I  think  we  're 
in  for  a  rather  nasty  time  here,  if  you  ask  me." 

"  I  do  ask  you.    What 's  wrong  ?  " 

I  was  anxious  to  learn  whether  he  knew  anything  of 
the  escape  of  our  party  in  the  early  morning ;  but  even 
if  he  had  been  told  about  it,  the  Coreans  are  such  un- 
mitigated liars  that  it  is  not  likely  he  would  have  be- 
lieved them  if  he  had  not  himself  seen  the  procession, 
and  I  very  much  doubted  if  he  had  done  so,  for  Car- 
michel  was  never  afflicted  with  the  early-rising  habit. 
I  was,  however,  wholly  unprepared  for  his  amazing 
reply. 

"  The  Empress  of  Corea  was  assassinated  last 
night,"  he  said.  "  I  imagine  they  don't  want  the  news 
to  spread.  The  Palace  is  closed,  and  all  the  gates  of 
the  city  were  shut  before  I  was  up  this  morning.  The 
Court  entourage  is  trying  to  pretend  that  the  Empress 
died  a  natural  death,  but  I  have  it  on  as  good  authority 
as  anything  can  be  had  in  this  mendacious  place  that 
the  Empress  was  literally  cut  to  pieces." 

"  Good  God !  "  I  cried.    "  Can  that  be  true  ?  " 

"  Anything  may  be  true  in  this  forsaken  hole.  I 
heard  you  had  left  the  service.  Came  into  a  fortune, 
eh?  Lucky  devil!  I  wish  I  were  in  your  shoes! 
This  is  worse  than  China,  and  that  was  bad  enough.  I 
suppose  you  are  here  on  private  business.  Well,  take 
a  friend's  advice  and  get  back.  Nothing  can  be  done 
here  for  a  while,  any  how." 

"  I  '11  take  your  advice,  Carmichd.  Is  there  any 
message  I  can  carry  for  you  to  Chemulpo?  " 

"  No,  you  may  tell  them  what 's  happened." 
171 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Are  you  in  any  danger,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  so.  Of  course,  one  can  never  tell 
what  may  turn  up  in  this  beastly  place.  I've  got  the 
Consulate  well  guarded,  and  we  can  stand  a  siege.  I 
heard  that  there  was  a  mob  approaching  the  town,  and 
so  came  up  to  see  what  it  was  all  about.  Where  are 
you  stopping  at  Chemulpo  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  yachting  with  a  friend  of  mine,  and 
his  craft  is  in  the  harbour  there." 

"  Well,  if  you've  no  business  in  Seoul,  I  advise  you 
to  get  back  to  the  yacht.  You'll  be  safer  on  the  sea 
than  in  Corea." 

"  I  believe  you !  " 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  in  the  midst  of  that  Bank 
Holiday  gang,  Tremorne  ?  "  asked  the  Consul,  his  curi- 
osity evidently  rising. 

"  Oh,  they  overtook  me,  so  we  came  along  together." 

"  It 's  a  wonder  they  did  n't  rob  you  of  all  you 
possess." 

"  I  forestalled  that  by  scattering  something  like 
twenty  thousand  sek  among  them.  I  thought  I  'd  be 
all  right  when  I  came  to  the  gate,  but  was  rather  taken 
aback  to  find  it  closed." 

"  Twenty  thousand  sek !  And  I  suppose  you  don't 
mind  throwing  it  away  any  more  than  a  handful  of 
ha'  pence !  Lucky  beggar !  And  yachting  around  the 
world  with  a  millionaire  friend,  I  expect.  Well,  life  's 
easy  for  some  people,"  said  the  Consul-General  with  a 
sigh. 

I  laughed  at  him,  and  wondered  what  he  would  have 
said  had  he  known  the  truth. 

172 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Sure  you  don't  want  me  to  send  a  guard  up  from 
Chemulpo  for  you?" 

"  No,  I  don't  think  our  consulate  will  be  the  storm- 
center  here.  I  rather  imagine  the  tornado  will  rage 
around  the  residence  of  our  Japanese  friends.  The 
Coreans  say  that  a  Japanese  killed  one  of  the  guards 
here  this  morning  at  the  gate,  but  the  Japanese  Min- 
ister insists  that  all  of  his  countrymen  in  the  city  are 
accounted  for,  and  that  this  allegation  of  murder  is  a 
lie,  which  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  it  is.  I  heard  a 
lot  of  promiscuous  firing  this  morning  before  I  was  up, 
but  it  seemed  to  me  all  in  the  direction  of  the  Palace. 
They  are  eternally  raising  some  shindy  here,  and  blam- 
ing it  on  decent  people.  I  'm  sorry  to  see  you  turn 
back,  Tremorne,  but  a  man  who  is  n't  compelled  to  stay 
here  is  wise  to  avoid  such  diggings.  If  you  return 
you  '11  call  on  me,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  said  I,  gathering  up  the  reins.  "  So> 
long,  Carmichel,  and  be  as  good  to  yourself  as  you 
can." 

Saying  this  I  turned  toward  Chemulpo,  and  reached 
it  very  late  that  night.  The  journey  was  one  of  the 
most  disagreeable  I  had  ever  taken,  for  my  right  arm 
— I  suppose  through  the  straining  of  the  muscles — 
became  utterly  helpless  and  very  painful.  It  swelled 
so,  especially  at  the  shoulder,  that  I  feared  I  should 
have  to  cut  the  sleeve  of  my  coat.  David  was  more 
fortunate  than  I,  because  he  did  his  business  with  one 
shot :  my  giant  required  continual  shooting,  and  now  I 
was  suffering  for  it.  If  I  had  been  attacked,  I  should 
have  found  myself  completely  helpless;  but  fortu- 

173 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

nately  the  way  was  clear,  and  with  my  three  steeds  I 
came  through  without  mishap.  Before  going  on  board 
I  searched  out  my  two  Japanese,  and  found,  as  I  ex- 
pected, that  Mr.  Hemster  had  rewarded  them  with  a 
liberality  that  took  their  breath  away.  He  had  paid 
them  for  the  three  horses,  which  he  looked  upon  as  lost, 
and  now  I  turned  the  nags  over  to  them,  together  with 
the  twenty  thousand  sek  that  was  on  one  of  them ;  so 
the  brave,  resourceful  little  men  had  no  complaint  to 
make  regarding  lack  of  recognition. 

I  had  not  intended  to  go  aboard  the  yacht  that  night, 
but  Mr.  Hemster  had  made  the  Japs  promise  to  show  a 
flare  if  any  news  came  of  me,  and  in  the  morning  he 
was  going  to  organize  an  expedition  for  my  rescue. 
As  soon  as  I  encountered  my  Japs  one  of  them  ran  for 
a  torch  and  set  it  afire.  It  was  at  once  answered  by  a 
rocket  from  the  yacht,  and  before  I  had  finished  my 
conversation  with  him  I  heard  the  measured  beat  of  the 
oars  in  the  water,  and  found  that  in  spite  of  his  fatigue 
the  kindly  old  man  himself  had  come  ashore  for  me. 
He  tried  to  shake  hands,  but  I  warded  him  off  with 
my  left  arm,  laughing  as  I  did  so,  and  told  him  my 
right  would  not  be  in  condition  for  some  time  yet.  As 
we  rowed  out  to  the  yacht  I  told  him  all  that  had  hap- 
pened, and  informed  him  about  the  murder  of  the  Em- 
press, which  news  my  Japanese  friends  were  commis- 
sioned to  proclaim  in  Chemulpo,  as  I  had  promised  the 
British  Consul.  Mr.  Hemster  was  much  affected  by 
this  news,  and  I  saw  plainly  that  he  considered  his  ill- 
fated  expedition  to  have  been  the  probable  cause  of 
this  unfortunate  lady's  taking  off. 

174 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  was  nearly  famished  when  we  reached  the  steamer, 
for  I  had  had  nothing  since  early  morning  but  a  ham 
sandwich  I  had  put  in  my  pocket.  The  bag  of  provi- 
sions intended  for  consumption  on  the  way  had  been 
carried  by  the  Chinese  cook,  and  at  the  moment  of 
parting  I  had  thought  nothing  of  the  commissariat, 
which  was  extremely  poor  generalship  on  my  part,  and 
an  omission  which  caused  me  sorrow  later  in  the  day. 

Sitting  in  the  boat  after  my  exertions  left  me  so  stiff 
and  unwieldy  that  one  of  the  sailors  had  to  help  me  up 
the  side,  and,  stepping  on  deck,  I  staggered,  and  would 
have  fallen  if  he  had  not  caught  me.  The  waning 
moon  had  risen,  but  the  light  was  not  strong.  I  saw  a 
shadowy  figure  make  for  the  companion-way,  then 
stop  with  a  little  cry,  and  run  forward  to  where  I 
stood. 

"  You  are  wounded,  Mr.  Tremorne !  "  she  cried. 

"  No,  Miss  Stretton,  I  am  all  right,  except  my  arm, 
and  its  disablement  is  rather  a  joke  than  otherwise." 

"He  is  wounded,  is  he  not,  Mr.  Hemster?"  ap- 
pealed the  girl,  as  the  old  man  came  up  the  gangway. 

"  Tut,  tut,  child !  You  should  have  been  in  bed  long 
ago !  He  is  n't  wounded,  but  he  's  nearly  starved  to 
death  through  our  taking  away  all  the  provisions  with 
us  when  we  deserted  him." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  she  cried.  "  Then  you  didn't  find  the 
bag." 

"What  bag?"  Tasked. 

"  When  we  were  having  lunch  Mr.  Hemster  remem- 
bered that  you  were  unprovided  for,  so  we  raised  a 
cairn  of  stones  by  the  wayside  and  left  a  bag  of  pro- 

175 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

visions  on  top  of  it,  hoping  you  would  recognize  it, 
for  Mr.  Hemster  felt  sure  you  would  win  through 
somehow  or  other.  You  would  be  extremely  flattered, 
Mr.  Tremorne,  if  you  knew  what  faith  he  has  in  you." 

I  laughed  and  told  her  I  was  glad  to  hear  it. 

"  Tut,  tut ! "  said  the  old  man.  "  Don't  stand  idly 
chattering  here  when  there  's  a  first-rate  supper  spread 
out  for  you  down  below.  Away  you  go.  I  must  have 
a  word  with  the  captain,  for  we  are  off  to  Nagasaki 
within  ten  minutes,  so  I  shall  bid  you  both  good- 
night." 

I  took  it  very  kindly  of  the  old  gentleman  to  leave 
us  thus  alone,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  thought  of  his 
own  younger  days  when  he  did  so.  I  wickedly  pre- 
tended a  greater  weakness  than  I  actually  felt,  and  so 
Miss  Stretton  kindly  supported  me  with  her  arm,  and 
thus  we  went  down  the  stairway  together,  where,  as 
the  old  gentleman  had  said,  I  found  one  of  the  most 
delicious  cold  collations  I  had  ever  encountered, 
flanked  by  a  bottle  of  his  very  finest  champagne.  I 
persuaded  Miss  Stretton  to  sit  down  opposite  me, 
which,  after  some  demur  about  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  she  consented  to  do,  for  I  told  her  my  right  arm 
was  absolutely  helpless,  and  the  left  almost  equally 
awkward. 

"  So,"  I  said,  "  you  must  prove  yourself  a  minister- 
ing angel  now." 

"  Ah,  that,"  she  said,  "  is  when  pain  and  anguish 
wring  the  brow.  As  I  understand  it,  pain  and  anguish 
wring  the  arm.  Please  tell  me  how  it  happened." 

Under  the  deft  manipulation  of  the  Japanese  boy, 
176 


the  champagne  cork  came  out  with  a  pop,  and,  as  if  it 
were  a  signal-gun,  there  immediately  followed  the  rat- 
tle of  the  anchor-chain  coming  up,  and  almost  before 
my  story  was  begun,  we  heard  the  steady  throb-throb 
of  the  engine,  and  it  sent  a  vibration  of  thankfulness 
through  my  aching  frame. 

"  You  do  look  haggard  and  worn,"  she  said ;  "  and 
I  think  I  must  insist  on  regarding  you  rather  in  the 
light  of  a  hero." 

"  Oh,  there  was  nothing  heroic  in  flinging  cheap 
cash  about  in  the  reckless  way  I  did.  I  was  never  in 
any  real  danger." 

"  I  think  we  have  all  been  in  danger,  more  or  less, 
since  we  entered  those  Palace  gates.  Although  I  said 
nothing  I  could  see  from  your  face  what  you  were 
thinking." 

"  Yes,  I  know  of  old  your  uncanny  proclivities  in 
mind-reading.  Now  that  every  pulsation  of  the  engine 
is  carrying  us  farther  away  from  that  plague-spot  of 
earth,  there  is  no  harm  in  saying  that  I  spent  some 
days  and  nights  of  deep  anxiety,  and  that,  I  assure  you, 
not  on  my  own  account." 

"  I  quite  believe  you,"  said  the  young  lady,  raising 
her  eyes  for  a  moment,  and  gazing  down  on  the  table- 
cloth again.  Then  she  looked  brightly  up  once  more, 
and  said  archly: 

"  I  hope  it  won't  make  you  conceited,  but  I  walked 
the  deck  to-night  with  fear  tugging  at  my  heart.  I 
don't  think  I  ever  was  so  glad  in  my  life  as  when 
I  saw  the  flare,  as  had  been  arranged,  and  knew  you 
were  safe.  When  I  heard  you  talking  to  Mr.  Hemster 

177 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

in  the  boat,  your  voice  floated  over  the  water  very  dis- 
tinctly, and  I  think  I  breathed  a  little  expression  of 
gratitude." 

"  Hilda,"  said  I,  leaning  across  the  table,  "  it  is  very 
kind  of  you  to  say  ^at." 

Here,  to  my  annoyance,  the  Japanese  boy  came  into 
the  saloon,  although  I  had  told  him  I  had  no  further 
need  for  him  that  night.  He  approached  us,  and  said 
respectfully,  and  I  am  sure  somewhat  unwillingly: 

"  Miss  Hemster's  compliments,  sir,  and  she  wishes 
you  would  stop  chattering  here  all  night  long,  so  that 
people  could  get  to  sleep." 

Miss  Stretton  sprang  to  her  feet,  a  crimson  flush 
coming  into  her  face. 

"  Thank  Miss  Hemster  for  me/'  said  I  to  the  Jap- 
anese, "  and  inform  her  that  we  will  finish  our  conver- 
sation on  deck." 

"  No,  no !  "  cried  Hilda  peremptorily ;  "  it  is  terri- 
bly late,  and  it  is  too  bad  of  me  keeping  you  talking 
here  when  you  should  be  resting.  I  assure  you  I  did 
not  intend  to  remain  on  deck  after  I  had  learned  of 
your  safe  arrival." 

"  I  know  that,  Hilda.  It  was  when  you  saw  me  stag- 
ger that,  like  the  kind-hearted  girl  you  are,  you  came 
forward.  Now,  do  come  up  on  deck  with  me,  if  only 
for  five  minutes." 

"  No,  no,"  she  repeated  in  a  whisper. 

Forgetting  the  condition  of  my  arm,  I  made  an  ef- 
fort to  encircle  her.  She  whisked  herself  silently  away, 
but,  hearing  the  groan  that  involuntarily  escaped  me 
when  the  helpless  arm  struck  the  table  and  sent  an  elec- 

178 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

trie  spasm  of  pain  to  my  shoulder,  she  turned  rapidly 
toward  me  with  pity  in  her  face.  Then,  springing  for- 
ward, she  raised  her  lips  to  mine  for  one  infinitesimal 
fraction  of  a  second,  and  almost  before  the  rest  of  that 
moment  of  bliss  was  passed  I  found  myself  alone  in 
the  empty  saloon. 


179 


CHAPTER  XVI 

KE  as  it  was,  I  went  up  on  deck,  and  it  was 
lucky  for  me  I  did  so,  for  I  met  our  bluff  old 
captain,  who,  when  he  learned  of  the  disable- 
ment of  my  arm,  said  genially  that  he  had  a  Cape  Cod 
liniment  good  for  man  or  donkey,  and  I  was  welcome 
to  it  in  either  capacity.     He  ordered  me  down  to  my 
stateroom,  and  followed  later  with  the  bottle.    His  own 
gnarled  hands  rubbed  the  pungent-smelling  stuff  on 
my  arm,  and  he  told  me  I  'd  be  next  to  all  right  in  the 
morning,  which  prophecy  came  true. 

I  am  sorry  that  in  these  voyages  to  and  from  Corea 
we  met  absolutely  no  adventures,  picked  up  no  ship- 
wrecked crew,  and  met  no  cyclone,  so  I  am  unable  to 
write  down  any  of  those  vivid  descriptions  that  I  have 
always  admired  in  Mr.  Clark  Russell. 

Next  morning  was  heavenly  in  its  beauty  and  its 
calm.  Nagasaki  was  the  last  civilized  address  which 
would  receive  telegrams,  letters  or  papers  for  Mr. 
Hemster,  and  the  old  gentleman  was  anxious  to  reach 
there  as  soon  as  possible.  As  I  have  remarked  before, 
he  was  constantly  yearning  for  a  daily  paper.  The 
captain  informed  me  that  he  had  engaged  a  "  heathen 
Chinee  "  as  pilot,  and  so  was  striking  direct  from  Che- 
mulpo to  Nagasaki,  letting  the  islands  take  care  of 
themselves,  as  he  remarked. 

180 


I  walked  the  deck,  watching  eagerly  for  the  coming 
of  Hilda  Stretton,  but  instead  there  arrived  Gertrude 
Hemster,  bright,  smiling,  and  beautiful.  I  was  just 
now  regretting  lack  of  opportunity  to  indulge  in  Clark- 
Russellism,  yet  here  was  a  chance  for  a  descriptive 
writer  which  proved  quite  beyond  my  powers.  The 
costume  of  Miss  Hemster  was  bewildering  in  its 
Parisian  completeness.  That  girl  must  have  had  a 
storehouse  of  expensive  gowns  aboard  the  yacht.  I 
suppose  this  was  what  a  writer  in  a  lady's  paper  would 
call  a  confection,  or  a  creation,  or  something  of  that 
sort;  but  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  you  might  as  well 
expect  an  elucidation  of  higher  mathematics  as  an  ade- 
quate delineation  of  that  sumptuous  gown.  All  I  can 
say  is  that  the  tout  ensemble  was  perfect,  and  the  girl 
herself  was  radiant  in  her  loveliness.  She  approached 
me  with  a  winning  smile  like  that  of  an  angel. 

"  I  want  you  to  know  how  I  appreciate  your  bravery. 
I  shall  never  forget, — no,  not  if  I  live  to  be  a  thousand 
years  old, — how  grand  and  noble  you  looked  standing 
up  alone  against  that  horde  of  savages.  I  was  just  tell- 
ing Poppa  that  the  very  first  reporter  he  meets,  he 
must  give  a  glowing  account  to  him  of  your  heroism." 

I" have  always  noted  that  when  Miss  Hemster  was  in 
extreme  good  humour  she  referred  to  the  old  gentleman 
as  Poppa ;  on  other  occasions  she  called  him  Father. 
The  project  of  giving  away  my  adventures  to  the 
newspapers  did  not  in  the  least  commend  itself  to  me. 

"  Good-morning,  Miss  Hemster,"  I  said,  "  I  am  ex- 
tremely pleased  to  see  you  looking  so  well  after  a 
somewhat  arduous  day." 

181 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"It  was  rather  a  trying  time,  wasn't  it?"  she  re- 
plied sweetly,  "  and  if  I  look  well  it 's  because  of  the 
dress,  I  think.  How  do  you  like  it  ?  "  and  she  stepped 
back  with  a  sweeping  curtesy  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  an  actress,  and  took  up  an  attitude  that  dis- 
played her  drapery  to  the  very  best  advantage. 

"  It  is  heavenly,"  I  said ;  "  never  in  my  life  have  I 
seen  anything  to  compare  with  it, — or  with  the 
wearer,"  I  added. 

"  How  sweet  of  you  to  say  that !  "  she  murmured, 
looking  up  at  me  archly,  with  a  winning,  bird-like 
movement.  A  glorified  bird-of-paradise  she  seemed, 
and  there  was  no  denying  it.  With  a  touching  pathetic 
note  in  her  voice  she  continued, — very  humbly,  if  one 
might  judge, —  "  You  have  n't  been  a  bit  nice  to  me 
lately.  I  have  wondered  why  you  were  so  unkind." 

"  Believe  me,  Miss  Hemster,"  I  said,  "  I  have  not  in- 
tended to  be  unkind,  and  I  am  very  sorry  if  I  have 
appeared  so.  You  must  remember  we  have  been 
thrown  into  very  trying  circumstances,  and  as  I  was 
probably  better  acquainted  with  the  conditions  than 
any  one  of  our  party  I  always  endeavoured  to  give  the 
best  advice  I  could,  which  sometimes,  alas,  ran  counter 
to  your  own  wishes.  It  seemed  to  me  now  and  then 
you  did  not  quite  appreciate  the  danger  which  threat- 
ened us,  and  you  also  appeared  to  have  a  distrust  of 
me,  which,  I  may  tell  you,  was  entirely  unfounded." 

"  Of  course  it  was,"  she  cried  contritely,  "  but  never- 
theless I  always  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  you,  al- 
though you  see  I  'm  so  impulsive  that  I  always  say  the 
first  thing  that  comes  into  my  head,  and  that  gives  peo- 

182 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

pie  a  wrong  idea  about  me.  You  take  everything  so 
seriously  and  make  no  allowances.  I  think  at  heart 
you  're  a  very  hard  man." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  not." 

"  Yes,  you  are.  You  have  numerous  little  rules,  and 
you  measure  everybody  by  them.  I  seem  to  feel  that 
you  are  mentally  sizing  me  up,  and  that  makes  me  say 
horrid  things." 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  I  must  try  to  improve  my  char- 
acter." 

"  Oh,  I  'm  not  blaming  you  at  all,  only  telling  you 
the  way  it  strikes  me.  Perhaps  I  'm  altogether  wrong. 
Very  likely  I  am,  and  anyhow  I  don't  suppose  it  does 
any  good  to  talk  of  these  things.  By  the  way,  how  is 
your  arm  this  morning?  " 

"  It  is  all  right,  thank  you.  The  captain's  liniment 
has  been  magical  in  its  effect.  It  was  very  stupid  of 
me  to  get  my  arm  in  such  a  condition,  and  there  is  less 
excuse  because  I  used  to  be  a  first-rate  cricket  bowler ; 
but  somehow  yesterday  I  got  so  interested  in  the  game 
that  I  forgot  about  my  muscles." 

"  Is  it  true  that  the  Empress  has  been  murdered  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  had  the  news  from  the  British  Consul,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  of  its  accuracy." 

"  How  perfectly  awful  to  think  that  only  the  day  be- 
fore yesterday  we  saw  her  sitting  there  like  a  graven 
image;  indeed  she  scarcely  seemed  alive  even  then. 
What  in  the  world  did  they  kill  the  poor  woman  for  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  I  replied,  although  I  had  strong 
suspicions  regarding  the  cause  of  her  fate.  The  next 
statement  by  Miss  Hemster  astonished  me. 

183 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Well,  it  served  her  right.  A  woman  in  that  posi- 
tion should  assert  herself.  She  sat  there  like  a  Chinese 
doll  that  had  gone  to  sleep.  If  she  had  made  them 
stand  around  they  would  have  had  more  respect  for 
her.  Any  woman  owes  it  to  her  sex  to  make  the  world 
respect  her.  Think  of  a  sleepy  creature  like  that  hold- 
ing the  position  of  Empress,  and  yet  making  less  than 
nothing  of  it." 

"  You  must  remember,  Miss  Hemster,  that  the 
status  of  woman  in  Corea  is  vastly  different  from  her 
position  in  the  United  States." 

"Well,  and  whose  fault  is  that?  It  is  the  fault  of 
the  women.  We  demand  our  rights  in  the  States,  and 
get  them.  If  this  creature  at  Seoul  had  been  of  any  use 
in  the  world  she  would  have  revolutionized  the  status 
of  women, — at  least  within  the  bounds  of  her  own 
kingdom." 

I  ventured  to  remark  that  Oriental  ideas  of  women 
•were  of  a  low  order,  and  that,  as  the  women  them- 
selves were  educated  to  accept  this  state  of  things, 
nothing  much  should  be  expected  of  them. 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  "  cried  Miss  Hemster  strenuously ; 
"  look  at  the  Empress  of  China.  She  makes  people 
stand  around.  Then  there  was  Catherine  of  Russia, 
and  goodness  knows  Russia's  far  enough  behind  in  its 
ideas!  But  Catherine  didn't  mind  that;  she  just 
walked  in,  and  made  herself  feared  by  the  whole  world. 
A  few  more  women  like  that  in  the  Orient  would  bring 
these  heathen  people  to  their  senses.  It  serves  this 
Corean  Queen  right  when  you  think  of  the  opportunity 
she  had,  and  the  way  she  misused  it,  sitting  there  like  a 

184 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

great  lump  of  dough  strung  around  with  jewels  she 
could  not  appreciate,  like  a  wax  figure  in  a  ten-cent 
show.  I  have  no  patience  with  such  animals." 

I  thought  this  judgment  of  Miss  Hemster's  rather 
harsh,  but  experience  had  taught  me  not  to  be  rash  in 
expressing  my  opinion ;  so  we  conversed  amicably 
about  many  things  until  the  gong  rang  for  luncheon. 
I  must  say  that  hers  was  a  most  attractive  personality 
when  she  exerted  herself  to  please.  At  luncheon  she 
was  the  life  of  the  party,  making  the  captain  laugh  out- 
rageously, and  even  bringing  a  smile  now  and  then  to 
her  father's  grave  face,  although  it  seemed  to  me  he 
watched  her  furtively  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows  now 
and  then  as  if  apprehensive  that  this  mood  might  not 
last, — somewhat  fearful,  I  imagine,  regarding  what 
might  follow.  I  could  not  help  noticing  that  there  was 
a  subtle  change  in  the  old  gentleman's  attitude  toward 
his  daughter,  and  I  fancied  that  her  exuberant  spirits 
were  perhaps  forced  to  the  front,  to  counteract  in  a 
measure  this  new  attitude.  I  thought  I  detected  now 
and  then  a  false  note  in  her  hilarity,  but  perhaps  that 
may  have  been  a  delusion  of  my  imagination,  such  as 
it  is.  After  the  captain  had  gone,  toward  the  end  of 
the  meal,  her  father  seemed  to  be  endeavouring  silently 
to  attract  her  attention;  but  she  rattled  on  in  almost 
breathless  haste,  talking  flippantly  to  Miss  Stretton  and 
myself  alternately,  and  never  once  looking  toward  the 
head  of  the  table.  I  surmised  that  there  was  something 
beneath  all  this  with  which  I  was  not  acquainted,  and 
that  there  was  going  on  before  me  a  silent  contest  of 
two  wills,  the  latent  determination  of  the  father  op- 

185 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

posed  to  the  unconcealed  stubbornness  of  the  daughter. 
I  sympathized  with  the  old  man,  because  I  was  myself 
engaged  in  a  mental  endeavour  to  cause  Hilda  Stretton 
to  look  across  at  me,  but  hitherto  without  success.  Not 
a  single  glance  had  I  received  during  the  meal.  At 
last  the  old  gentleman  rose,  and  stood  hesitating,  as  if 
he  wished  to  make  a  plunge;  then,  finally,  he  inter- 
rupted the  rattle  of  conversation  by  saying : 

"  Gertrude,  I  wish  to  have  a  few  words  with  you  in 
my  office." 

"  All  right,  Poppa,  I  '11  be  there  in  a  minute,"  she  re- 
plied nonchalantly. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  now"  he  said,  with  more 
sternness  in  his  voice  than  I  had  ever  heard  there  be- 
fore. For  one  brief  moment  I  feared  we  were  going 
to  have  a  scene,  but  Miss  Gertrude  merely  laughed  joy- 
ously and  sprang  to  her  feet,  saying,  "  I  '11  race  you  to 
the  office  then,"  and  disappeared  down  the  passage  aft 
almost  before  her  sentence  was  ended.  Mr.  Hemster 
slowly  followed  her. 

Hilda  Stretton  half  rose,  as  if  to  leave  me  there 
alone,  then  sat  down  again,  and  courageously  looked 
me  full  in  the  face  across  the  table. 

"  He  is  too  late,"  she  whispered. 

"  Too  late  for  what  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Too  late  in  exerting  parental  authority." 

"  Is  he  trying  to  do  that?  " 

"Did n't  you  see  it?" 

"  Well,  if  that  was  his  endeavour,  he  succeeded." 

"  For  the  moment,  yes.  He  thinks  he  's  going  to 
talk  to  her,  but  it  is  she  who  will  talk  to  him,  and  she 

186 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

preferred  doing  it  this  time  in  the  privacy  of  the  room 
he  calls  his  office.  A  moment  more,  and  he  would 
have  learned  her  opinion  of  him  before  witnesses.  I 
am  very  glad  it  did  not  come  to  that,  but  the  trouble 
is  merely  postponed.  Poor  old  gentleman,  I  wish  I 
could  help  him !  He  does  not  understand  his  daughter 
in  the  least.  But  let  us  go  on  deck  and  have  coffee 
there." 

"  I  was  just  going  to  propose  that,"  I  cried,  delight- 
ed, springing  to  my  feet.  We  went  up  the  stair  to- 
gether and  I  placed  a  little  wicker  table  well  forward, 
with  a  wicker  chair  on  each  side  of  it,  taking  a  position 
on  deck  as  far  from  the  companion-way  as  possible,  so 
that  we  should  not  be  surprised  by  any  one  coming  up 
from  below.  The  Japanese  boy  served  our  coffee,  and 
when  he  was  gone  Hilda  continued  her  subject,  speak- 
ing very  seriously. 

"  He  does  not  understand  her  at  all,  as  I  have  said. 
Since  she  was  a  baby  she  has  had  her  own  way  in 
everything,  without  check  or  hindrance  from  him,  and 
of  course  no  one  else  dared  to  check  or  hinder  her. 
Now  she  is  more  than  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  if 
he  imagines  that  discipline  can  be  enforced  at  this  late 
hour  he  is  very  much  mistaken." 

"  Is  he  trying  to  enforce  discipline?  " 

"  Yes,  he  is.  He  has  foolishly  made  up  his  mind 
that  it  will  be  for  the  girl's  good.  That,  of  course,  is 
all  he  thinks  of, — dear,  generous-hearted  man  that  he 
is!  But  if  he  goes  on  there  will  be  a  tragedy,  and  I 
want  you  to  warn  him," 

"  I  dare  not  interfere,  Hilda." 

187 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Why  not  ?  Have  n't  you  a  very  great  liking  for 
him?" 

"  Yes,  I  have.  I  would  do  almost  anything  in  the 
world  for  him." 

"  Then  do  what  I  tell  you." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  See  him  privately  in  his  office,  and  tell  him  to  leave 
his  daughter  alone.  Warn  him  that  if  he  does  not  there 
will  be  a  tragedy." 

"  Tell  me  exactly  what  you  mean." 

"  She  will  commit  suicide." 

This  statement,  solemnly  given,  seemed  to  me  so  ut- 
terly absurd  that  it  relieved  the  tension  which  was 
creeping  into  the  occasion.  I  leaned  back  in  my  chair 
and  laughed  until  I  saw  a  look  of  pained  surprise  come 
into  Hilda's  face,  which  instantly  sobered  me. 

"  Really,  Hilda,  you  are  the  very  best  girl  in  the 
world,  yet  it  is  you  who  do  not  understand  that  young 
woman.  She  is  too  thoroughly  selfish  to  commit  sui- 
cide, or  to  do  anything  else  to  her  own  injury." 

"  Suicide,"  said  Hilda  gravely,  "  is  not  always  a  mat- 
ter of  calculation,  but  often  the  act  of  a  moment 
of  frenzy, — at  least  so  it  will  be  in  Gertrude  Hemster's 
case  if  her  father  now  attempts  to  draw  tight  the  reins 
of  authority.  He  will  madden  her,  and  you  have  no 
conception  of  the  depth  of  bitterness  that  is  in  her  na- 
ture. If  it  occurs  to  her  in  her  next  extravagant  tan- 
trum that  by  killing  herself  she  will  break  her  father's 
heart,  which  undoubtedly  would  be  the  case,  she  is 
quite  capable  of  plunging  into  the  sea,  or  sending  a  re- 
volver bullet  through  her  head.  I  have  been  convinced 

188 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

of  this  for  some  time  past,  but  I  never  thought  her 
father  would  be  so  ill-advise.d  as  to  change  the  drifting 
line  of  conduct  he  has  always  held  in  regard  to  her." 

"  My  dear  Hilda,  you  are  not  consistent.  Do  you 
remember  an  occasion,  which  to  tell  the  truth  I  am 
loth  to  recall,  when  you  said  if  her  father  treated  her 
as  I  had  done  her  character  would  be  much  more  ami- 
able than  it  now  appears  to  be  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  said  that,  Mr.  Tremorne.  I  may 
have  hinted  that  if  her  father  had  taken  a  more  strenu- 
ous attitude  in  the  past,  he  would  not  have  such  a  diffi- 
cult task  before  him  in  the  present,  or  I  may  have  said 
that  a  husband  might  tame  the  shrew.  The  latter,  I  be- 
lieve, would  lead  to  either  a  reformation  or  the  divorce 
court,  I  don't  quite  know  which.  Or  perhaps  even 
then  there  might  be  a  tragedy ;  but  it  would  be  the  hus- 
band who  would  suffer,  not  herself.  A  man  she  mar- 
ried might  control  her.  It  would  really  be  an  interest- 
ing experiment,  and  no  one  can  predict  whether  it 
would  turn  out  well  or  ill ;  but  her  father  cannot  con- 
trol her  because  all  these  years  of  affectionate  neglect 
are  behind  him,  years  in  which  he  was  absorbed  in  busi- 
ness, leaving  the  forming  of  her  character  to  hirelings, 
thinking  that  because  he  paid  them  well  they  would  do 
their  duty,  whereas  the  high  salary  merely  made  them 
anxious  to  retain  their  positions  at  any  cost  of  flattery 
and  indulgence  to  their  pupil." 

"  Then,  Hilda,  why  don't  you  speak  to  him  about  it  ? 
You  have  known  him  for  more  years  than  I  have  days, 
and  I  am  sure  he  would  take  it  kindlier  from  you  than 
from  me." 

189 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  spoken  to  him.  I 
spoke  to  him  last  night  when  we  were  both  waiting  for 
that  flare  from  the  shore  at  Chemulpo.  I  could  not  tell 
whether  my  talk  had  any  effect  or  not,  for  he  said 
nothing,  beyond  thanking  me  for  my  advice.  I  see 
to-day  that  it  has  had  no  effect.  So  now  I  beg  you  to 
try." 

"  But  if  you  failed,  how  could  I  hope  to  succeed  ?  " 

"  I  '11  tell  you  why.  In  the  first  place  because  you 
are  the  cause  of  this  change  of  attitude  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Hemster." 

"I  the  cause?" 

"  Certainly.  He  has  undoubtedly  a  great  liking  for 
you,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  has  known  you  so  short 
a  time.  In  some  unexplainable  way  he  has  come  to 
look  at  his  daughter  through  your  eyes,  and  I  think  he 
is  startled  at  the  vision  he  has  seen.  But  he  does  not 
take  sufficient  account  of  the  fact  that  he  is  not  dealing 
now  with  a  little  girl,  but  with  a  grown  woman.  I  no- 
ticed the  gradual  change  in  his  manner  during  our  stay 
at  the  Palace,  and  it  became  much  more  marked  on  the 
way  back  to  Chemulpo,  after  we  had  left  you  alone  bat- 
tling with  the  savages  of  Seoul.  You  have  said  you 
were  in  no  real  danger,  but  Mr.  Hemster  did  not  think 
so,  and  he  seemed  greatly  impressed  by  the  fact  that  a 
comparative  stranger  should  cheerfully  insist  on  jeop- 
ardizing his  life  for  the  safety  of  our  party,  and  to  my 
deep  anxiety  his  demeanour  toward  his  daughter  was  at 
first  severe  and  then  harsh,  for  he  roundly  accused  her 
Of  being  the  cause  of  our  difficulties.  I  shall  pass  over 
the  storm  that  ensued,  merely  saying  that  it  took  our 

190 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

whole  force  to  prevent  Miss  Hemster  from  returning 
to  Seoul." 

"  Great  Heavens !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  surely  that  was 
mere  pretence  on  her  part;  sheer  bravado." 

"  Not  altogether.  It  was  grim  determination  to  do 
the  thing  that  would  immediately  hurt  her  father,  and  I 
do  not  know  what  would  have  happened  if  she  had  es- 
caped from  us.  It  had  the  instant  effect  of  subduing 
him,  bringing  him  practically  to  his  knees  before  her. 
So  she  sulked  all  the  way  to  Chemulpo,  and  I  expected 
that  the  brief  assumption  of  authority  had  ended ;  but 
while  we  were  rowing  out  to  the  yacht  he  spoke  very 
sharply  to  her,  and  I  saw  with  regret  that  his  determi- 
nation was  at  least  equal  to  hers.  Therefore  I  spoke  to 
him  after  she  had  gone  to  her  room,  and  he  said  very 
little  one  way  or  the  other.  Now  he  appears  to  think 
that  as  he  has  got  her  safely  on  his  yacht  once  more  he 
can  bend  her  to  his  will,  and  I  am  terrified  at  the  out- 
look." 

"  Well,  it  does  n't  look  enticing,  does  it  ?  " 

"  No,  it  does  n't,  so  won't  you  please  talk  with  him 
for  his  own  sake  ?  " 

"  I'd  rather  face  the  Emperor  of  Corea  again,  or  his 
amiable  subjects  in  mass  meeting  assembled,  but  I  '11 
do  it  for  your  sake.  Oh,  yes,  and  for  his  sake,  too ;  I 
would  do  anything  I  could  to  make  matters  easy  for 
Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Thank  you  so  much,"  said  the  girl  simply,  leaning 
back  in  her  chair  with  a  sigh  of  contentment.  "  Now 
let  us  talk  of  something  else." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  Hilda.  I  Ve  been  wanting  to 
191 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

talk  of  something  else  ever  since  your  very  abrupt  de- 
parture last  night.  Now  am  I  over-confident  in  taking 
your  last  brief  action  there  as  equivalent  to  the  mono- 
syllable '  Yes '?" 

The  girl  laughed  and  coloured,  visibly  embarrassed. 
She  darted  a  quick  glance  at  me,  then  veiled  her  eyes 
again. 

"  The  brief  action,  as  you  call  it,  seems  rather  impul- 
sive now  in  the  glare  of  daylight,  and  was  equivalent 
to  much  more  than  the  monosyllable  '  Yes.'  Three 
times  as  much.  It  was  equivalent  to  the  trisyllable 
'  Sympathy.'  I  was  merely  expressing  sympathy." 

"Was  that  all?" 

"  Was  n't  that  more  than  enough  ?  I  have  thought 
since,  with  shame,  that  my  action  was  just  a  trifle  over- 
bold, and  I  fear  you  are  of  the  same  opinion,  although 
too  kind-hearted  to  show  it." 

"  My  whole  thought  was  a  protest  against  its 
brevity." 

"  But  brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  Hilda,"  said  I,  leaning  forward  toward  her, 
"  but  not  the  soul  of  kissing.  If  my  right  arm  had  not 
temporarily  lost  its  power  you  had  never  escaped  with 
the  celerity  you  did.  '  Man  wants  but  little  here  below/ 
and  I  want  that  little  monosyllable  rather  than  the  large 
trisyllable.  Make  me  for  ever  happy  by  saying  you 
meant  it." 

"  For  ever  is  a  long  time,"  she  answered  dreamily, 
her  eyes  partially  closed. 

"  Miss  Stretton,  u'ill  you  oblige  me  by  going  down- 
stairs; I  wish  to  talk  to  Mr.  Tremorne." 

192 


Yes,  Hilda,"  said  I,  "  but  not  the  soul  of  kissing. 

Page  192 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

The  words,  sharp  and  decisive,  cut  like  a  knife,  and, 
starting  to  my  feet  in  amazement,  I  saw  that  Gertrude 
Hemster  stood  before  us,  her  brow  a  thundercloud. 
Turning  from  her  beautiful  but  forbidding  counte- 
nance to  see  the  effect  of  her  peremptory  sentence  upon 
my  dear  companion,  I  found  the  chair  empty,  and  the 
space  around  me  vacant  as  if  she  had  vanished  into 
invisibility  through  the  malign  incantation  of  a  sor- 
ceress. 


193 


CHAPTER  XVII 

t«"W"lT  TILL  you  be  seated,  Miss  Hemster?"  I 
%/%/  said  with  such  calmness  as  I  could 
bring  to  my  command. 

"  No,  I  won't,"  she  snapped,  like  the  click  of  a  rifle. 

I  don't  know  why  it  is  that  this  girl  always  called 
forth  hitherto  unsuspected  discourtesy  which  I  regret 
to  admit  seems  to  lie  very  deep  in  my  nature.  I  was 
bitterly  angry  at  her  rude  dismissal  of  Hilda  Stretton. 

"  Oh,  very  well ;  stand  then !  "  I  retorted  with  inex- 
cusable lack  of  chivalry,  and,  that  my  culpability  should 
be  complete,  immediately  slammed  myself  emphatically 
down  into  the  chair  from  which  I  had  just  risen.  As  I 
came  down  with  a  thump  that  made  the  wicker  chair 
groan  in  protest,  the  look  the  lady  bestowed  upon  me 
must  have  resembled  that  of  the  Medusa  which  turned 
people  into  stone. 

"  Well,  you  are  polite,  I  must  say,"  she  exclaimed, 
with  a  malicious  swish  of  her  skirts  as  she  walked  to 
and  fro  before  me. 

"  You  so  monopolize  all  politeness  on  board  this 
yacht,"  was  my  unmannerly  rejoinder,  "  that  there  is 
none  of  it  left  for  the  rest  of  us." 

She  stopped  in  her  rapid  walk  and  faced  me. 

"  You  're  a  brute,"  she  said  deliberately. 

"  You  expressed  that  opinion  before.  Why  not  try 
something  original  ?  " 

194 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Do  you  think  that  is  a  gentlemanly  remark  to 
make  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  I  don't.  Some  years  of  vagabondage  coupled 
with  more  recent  events  have  destroyed  all  claim  I  ever 
possessed  to  being  a  gentleman." 

"  You  admit,  then,  you  are  the  scum  of  the  earth." 

"  Oh,  certainly." 

Suddenly  she  flounced  herself  down  in  the  chair 
Hilda  had  occupied,  and  stared  at  me  for  a  few  mo- 
ments. Then  she  said  in  a  voice  much  modified : 

"  What  were  you  and  Miss  Stretton  discussing  so 
earnestly  when  I  came  up  ?  " 

"Didn't  you  hear?" 

"  No.  I  am  no  eavesdropper,  but  I  know  you  were 
talking  of  me." 

"  Ah,  then  you  did  n't  hear." 

"  I  told  you  I  did  n't,  but  I  tell  you  what  I  suspect." 

"  Then  your  suspicions  are  entirely  unfounded,  Miss 
Hemster." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,  but  I  '11  say  this  for  you ;  how- 
ever much  of  a  beast  you  may  be,  you  are  rather  un- 
handy at  a  lie ;  so  if  you  wish  to  convince  me  that  you 
are  speaking  the  truth,  you  must  tell  me,  without  taking 
time  to  consider,  what  you  were  talking  about  if  you 
were  not  talking  of  me." 

All  this  was  uttered  at  lightning  speed. 

"  I  need  no  time  for  consideration  to  answer  that 
question.  We  were  talking  of  ourselves." 

"  What  were  you  saying  ?  Come  now,  out  with  it  if 
you  dare.  I  can  see  by  your  face  you  are  trying  to 
make  up  something." 

195 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Really,  you  underestimate  my  courage,  Miss  Hem- 
ster.  I  was  asking  Hilda  Stretton  to  do  me  the  honour 
of  marrying  me,  and  she  was  about  to  reply  when  you 
cut  short  a  conference  so  absorbing  that  we  had  not 
noticed  your  approach." 

This  explanation  seemed  to  be  so  unexpected  that  for 
a  moment  the  young  woman  sat  breathless  and  expres- 
sionless. Then  she  gradually  sank  back  in  her  chair 
with  closed  eyes,  all  colour  leaving  her  face. 

Now,  I  am  well  aware  of  the  effect  the  words  just 
written  will  have  on  the  mind  of  the  indulgent  reader. 
She  will  think  I  'm  trying  to  hint  that  the  girl,  despite 
her  actions,  was  in  love  with  me.  I  beg  to  state  that 
I  am  no  such  conceited  ass  as  the  above  paragraph 
would  imply.  My  wife  has  always  held  that  Gertrude 
Hemster  was  in  love  with  me,  but  that  is  merely  the 
prejudiced  view  of  an  affectionate  woman,  and  I  have 
ever  strenuously  combated  it.  The  character  of  Ger- 
trude Hemster  has  for  long  been  a  puzzle  to  me,  and 
I  can  hardly  expect  the  credence  of  the  reader  when  I 
say  that  I  have  toned  down  her  words  and  actions 
rather  than  exaggerated  them.  But  my  own  theory  of 
the  case  is  this :  Miss  Hemster  had  an  inordinate  love 
of  conquest  and  power.  I  think  I  should  have  got 
along  better  with  her  if  I  had  proposed  to  her  and 
taken  my  rejection  in  a  broken  and  contrite  spirit. 
That  she  would  have  rejected  me,  I  am  as  positive  as 
that  I  breathe.  I  am  equally  certain  that,  while  she 
would  have  scorned  to  acknowledge  me  as  a  favoured 
lover,  she  was  nevertheless  humiliated  to  know  that  I 
had  given  preference  to  one  upon  whom  she  rather 

196 


looked  down, — one  whom  she  regarded  as  a  recipient 
of  her  own  bounty, — and  the  moment  I  made  my  con- 
fession I  was  sorry  I  had  done  so,  for  Hilda's  sake. 

It  has  also  been  hinted, — I  shall  not  say  by  whom, — 
that  I  was  on  a  fair  way  of  being  in  love  with  Gertrude 
Hemster  if  everything  had  progressed  favourably.  I 
need  hardly  point  out  to  the  reader  the  utter  erroneous- 
ness  of  this  surmise.  I  do  not  deny  that  during  the 
first  day  of  our  acquaintance  I  was  greatly  attracted 
by  her,  or  perhaps  I  should  say  wonderfully  interested 
in  her.  I  had  never  met  any  one  just  like  her  before, 
nor  have  I  since  for  that  matter.  But  that  'I  was  even 
on  the  verge  of  being  in  love  with  her  I  emphatically 
deny.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  confessing  that  she  was 
the  most  beautiful  woman  I  have  ever  seen,  when  it 
pleased  her  to  be  gracious.  She  would  certainly  have 
made  a  superb  actress  if  Fortune  had  cast  her  role 
upon  the  stage.  But,  as  I  have  said,  I  never  under- 
stood this  woman,  or  comprehended  her  lightning 
changes  of  character.  I  do  not  know  to  this  day 
whether  she  was  merely  a  shallow  vixen  or  a  crea- 
ture of  deep  though  uncontrolled  passion.  I  therefore 
content  myself  with  setting  down  here,  as  accurately 
as  possible,  what  happened  on  the  various  occasions  of 
which  I  speak,  so  that  each  reader  may  draw  her  own 
conclusions,  if  indeed  there  are  any  conclusions  to  be 
drawn,  and  I  do  this  as  truthfully  as  may  be,  at  the 
risk  of  some  misunderstanding  of  my  own  position,  as 
in  the  present  instance. 

The  silence  which  followed  my  announcement  was  at 
last  broken  by  a  light  sarcastic  laugh. 

197 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Really,  Mr.  Tremorne,"  she  said,  "  it  is  not  very 
flattering  to  me  to  suppose  that  I  am  interested  in  the 
love  affairs  of  the  servants'  hall." 

I  bowed  my  acknowledgment  of  this  thrust. 

"  My  statement,  Miss  Hemster,  was  not  made  for 
your  entertainment,  or  with  any  hope  that  it  would  en- 
gage your  attention,  but  merely  as  an  answer  to  your 
direct  question." 

"  So  two  penniless  paupers  are  going  to  unite  their 
fortunes ! " 

"  Penniless,  only  relatively  so ;  paupers,  no." 

"  Nothing  added  to  nothing  makes  how  much,  Mr. 
Tremorne  ?  " 

"  Madam,  I  am  an  Oxford  man." 

"  What  has  that  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Much.  Cambridge  is  the  mathematical  university. 
I  never  was  good  at  figures." 

"  Perhaps  that 's  why  you  threw  away  your  money." 

"  Perhaps.  Still,  the  money  I  threw  away  yesterday 
belonged  to  your  father." 

"  Is  that  to  remind  me  of  the  debt  I  am  supposed  to 
owe  you  ?  " 

"  You  owe  me  nothing.  If  anybody  owes  me  any- 
thing I  am  certain  Mr.  Hemster  will  discharge  the  debt 
Vvith  his  usual  generosity." 

"  Oh,  you  are  counting  on  that,  are  you  ?  " 

"  We  have  Biblical  assurance,  Miss  Hemster,  of  the 
fact  that  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  My  hire  is 
all  I  expect,  and  all  I  shall  accept." 

"  Well,  it  is  my  hope  that  your  term  of  employment 
Vvill  be  as  short  as  possible ;  therefore  I  ask  you  to  re- 

198 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

sign  your  position  as  soon  as  we  reach  Nagasaki.  Your 
presence  on  this  ship  is  odious  to  me." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  that." 

"  Then  you  won't  resign  ?  " 

"  I  say  that  I  am  sorry  my  presence  on  this  ship  is 
odious  to  you." 

"  You  can  at  once  solve  the  problem  by  resigning,  as 
I  have  suggested." 

I  "  I  dispute  your  right  to  make  suggestions  to  me. 
If  you  want  me  to  leave  the  yacht,  ask  your  father  to 
discharge  me." 

"  There  is  always  a  certain  humiliation  in  abrupt  dis- 
missal. If  you  do  not  go  voluntarily,  and  without 
telling  my  father  that  I  have  asked  you  to  resign,  I 
shall  put  Hilda  Stretton  ashore  at  Nagasaki  with 
money  enough  to  pay  her  passage  home." 

"  How  generous  of  you !    First-class  or  steerage  ?  " 

Her  face  became  a  flame  of  fire,  and  she  clenched  her 
hands  till  the  nails  bit  the  pink  palms. 

"  You  sneaking  reptile !  "  she  cried,  her  voice  trem- 
bling with  anger ;  "  you  backbiting,  underhand  beast ! 
What  lies  have  you  dared  tell  my  father  about  me  ?  " 

"  You  are  under  some  strange  misapprehension,  Miss 
Hemster,"  I  replied,  with  a  coolness  which  earned  my 
mental  approbation,  fervently  hoping  at  the  same  time 
that  I  might  continue  to  maintain  control  over  my  de- 
plorable temper ;  "  you  have  jumped  at  a  conclusion 
not  borne  out  by  fact.  I  assure  you  I  have  never  dis- 
cussed you  with  your  father,  and  should  not  venture  to 
do  so." 

I  remembered  the  moment  I  had  spoken  that  I  had 
199 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

just  promised  another  lady  to  do  that  very  thing. 
What  everybody  says  must  be  true  when  they  state  that 
my  thoughts  are  awkward  and  ungainly,  rarely  coming 
up  to  the  starting-point  until  too  late.  I  fear  this  tardy 
recollection  brought  the  colour  to  my  face,  for  the 
angry  eyes  of  the  girl  were  upon  me,  and  she  evidently 
misread  this  untimely  flushing.  She  leaned  across  the 
little  wicker  table  and  said  in  a  calm,  unruffled  voice, 
marked  with  the  bitterness  of  hate : 

"  You  are  a  liar." 

I  rose  to  my  feet  with  the  intention  of  leaving  her, 
but  she  sprang  up  with  a  nimbleness  superior  to  my 
own,  and  before  I  was  aware  of  what  she  was  about  she 
thrust  her  two  hands  against  my  breast  and  plumped 
me  unexpectedly  down  into  my  chair  again.  It  was  a 
ludicrous  and  humiliating  situation,  but  I  was  too 
angry  to  laugh  about  it.  Standing  over  me,  she  hissed 
down  at  me: 

"  You  heard  what  I  said." 

"  Perfectly,  and  I  am  resolved  that  there  shall  be  no 
further  communication  between  us." 

"  Oh,  are  you  ?  Well,  you  '11  listen  to  what  I  have 
to  say,  or  I  '11  add  '  coward  '  to  '  liar.'  Either  you  or 
Hilda  Stretton  has  been  poisoning  my  father's  mind 
against  me.  Which  was  it?" 

"  It  was  I,  of  course." 

"  Then  you  admit  you  are  a  liar  ?  " 

" '  All  men  are  liars/  said  the  Psalmist,  so  why 
should  I  be  an  exception  ?  " 

"You  are  very  good  at  quoting  the  Bible,  are  n't 
you  ?  Why  don't  you  live  up  to  it  ?  " 

200 


"  I  should  be  the  better  man  if  I  did." 

"  Will  you  resign  at  Nagasaki,  then  ?  " 

"  I  shall  do  exactly  what  your  father  orders  me 
to  do." 

"  That  is  precisely  the  answer  I  should  have  expected 
from  a  mud-wallower  who  came  to  us  from  the  gutter." 

"  You  are  mistaken.     I  lived  up  on  a  hill." 

"  Well,  I  give  you  warning,  that  if  you  don't  leave 
this  yacht  you  will  regret  it." 

"  I  shall  probably  regret  the  tender  memories  of  your 
conversation,  Miss  Hemster;  but  if  you  think  to 
frighten  me  I  beg  to  point  out  that  it  is  really  yourself 
who  is  in  danger,  as  you  might  know  if  experience 
taught  the  class  of  persons  it  is  said  to  teach.  You 
have  called  me  a  brute  and  a  beast  and  all  the  rest  of  it, 
and  have  partly  persuaded  me  that  you  are  right. 
Now  the  danger  to  you  lies  in  the  fact  that  you  will  go 
just  a  step  too  far  on  one  of  these  occasions,  and  then  I 
shall  pick  you  up  and  throw  you  overboard.  Now  al- 
low me  to  say  that  you  have  about  reached  the  limit, 
likewise  to  inform  you  that  I  shall  not  resign." 

I  now  arose,  confronting  her,  and  flung  the  wicker 
chair  to  the  other  side  of  the  deck.  Then,  taking  off 
my  hat,  I  left  her  standing  there. 


201 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

I  AM  tired  of  my  own  shortcomings,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  the  reader  is  also,  if  she  has  read  this  far. 
I  shall  therefore  make  no  attempt  to  excuse  my 
language  toward  Gertrude  Hemster.  The  heated  con- 
versation in  which  we  indulged  had,  however,  one  ef- 
fect upon  my  future  course.  I  resolved  not  to  say  a 
word  to  her  father  against  his  treatment  of  her. 
Whatever  the  old  gentleman  had  said  to  her,  it  could 
not  have  been  cruder  or  ruder  than  the  language  which 
I  had  myself  employed.  Therefore  I  felt  it  would  be 
ludicrous  for  me  to  act  the  part  of  censor  or  adviser. 
I  had  shown  my  own  unfitness  for  either  of  those  roles. 
Besides  this,  I  had  been  convinced  that  Hilda  Stretton 
was  entirely  mistaken  in  thinking  that  the  young 
woman  would  commit  suicide  or  do  any  injury  to  her- 
self. My  summing  up  of  her  character  led  me  to  the 
belief  that  although  she  would  be  quite  willing  to  inflict 
pain  upon  others,  she  would  take  good  care  not  to  act 
to  her  own  discomfort.  Seizing  the  first  opportunity 
that  presented  itself,  I  told  Miss  Stretton  my  determi- 
nation, and,  while  she  did  not  agree  with  me,  she  made 
no  effort  to  induce  me  to  forego  my  resolution. 

The  bustle  pertaining  to  our  safe  arrival  at  Nagasaki 
drove  all  other  subjects  from  my  mind,  and  I  was  in- 
clined to  think  that  my  recent  troubles  and  quarrels 

202 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

arose  through  the  well-known  activity  of  Satan  to  pro- 
vide employment  for  idle  hands.  We  were  now  busy 
enough.  There  had  accumulated  at  Nagasaki  a  mass 
of  letters  and  a  bundle  of  cablegrams  for  Mr.  Hemster 
which  required  his  immediate  attention,  and  in  his  dis- 
posal of  these  messages  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  great 
business  man  he  really  was.  However  lax  he  might 
have  proved  in  his  conduct  toward  his  only  daughter, 
he  showed  himself  a  very  Napoleon  in  the  way  he  faced 
the  problems  presented  to  him,  settling  momentous 
affairs  thousands  of  miles  away  by  the  dispatch  of  a 
code  word  or  two. 

In  all  this,  so  far  as  my  abilities  permitted,  I  was  his 
humble  assistant,  and  I  found  myself  filled  with  ad- 
miration and  astonishment  at  his  powers  of  concen- 
tration and  the  brilliancy  of  his  methods.  The  little 
naphtha  launch  was  kept  running  backward  and  for- 
ward between  the  yacht  and  the  telegraph  office,  and 
during  the  long  day  that  followed  our  arrival  at  Naga- 
saki that  roll-top  desk  was  a  centre  of  commercial  ac- 
tivity vastly  different  in  its  efficiency  from  the  lazy 
routine  to  which  I  had  been  accustomed  in  the  diplo- 
matic service.  My  own  nervous  tension  kept  me  going 
until  the  long  day  had  passed,  and  the  time  seemed  as 
but  a  few  minutes.  At  the  end  I  was  as  tired  as  if  I 
had  spent  twelve  hours  continuously  on  the  football 
field,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  realized  how 
men  are  burnt  up  in  their  pursuit  of  the  mighty  dol- 
lar. My  natural  inclination  was  to  doubt  whether  the 
game  was  worth  the  candle,  but  during  the  progress  of 
the  game  there  was  no  question,  for  it  held  on  the  alert 

203 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

every  faculty  a  man  possessed,  and  I  could  well  believe 
that  it  might  exert  a  fascination  that  indulgence  in  mere 
gambling  could  never  equal. 

Silas  K.  Hemster  himself  was  like  a  man  trans- 
formed ;  the  eyes  which  I  had  hitherto  considered  dull 
and  uninteresting  became  aglow  with  the  excitement 
of  battle.  His  face  was  keen,  stern,  and  relentless ;  I 
saw  he  was  an  enemy  who  gave  no  quarter  and  ex- 
pected none.  His  orders  to  me  were  sharp  and  de- 
cisive, and  I  no  more  thought  of  questioning  them  than 
of  offering  unsought  advice  regarding  them.  He  was 
like  an  exiled  monarch  come  again  to  his  throne;  for 
the  first  time  in  our  brief  acquaintance  I  had  seen  the 
real  Hemster,  and  the  sight  had  given  me  a  feeling  of 
my  own  inane  inadequacy  in  the  scheme  of  things  here 
below.  When  at  last  the  day  was  done,  his  face  re- 
laxed, and  he  leaned  back  in  his  swivel  chair,  regard- 
ing me  with  eyes  that  had  taken  on  their  old  kindliness. 
He  seemed  enlivened  rather  than  exhausted  by  the  con- 
test, as  if  he  had  taken  a  sip  of  the  elixir  of  youth. 

"  Well,  my  boy,"  he  said,  "  you  're  tired  out.  You 
look  as  if  you  had  been  running  a  race." 

"  That  is  exactly  what  I  've  been  doing,  sir." 

The  old  gentleman  laughed. 

"  Let  's  see,"  he  mused  ruminatingly,  "  did  we  have 
lunch  or  not  ?  " 

"  You  consumed  a  sandwich  which  I  placed  on  your 
desk,  Mr.  Hemster,  and  I  bolted  another  during  one 
of  my  rushes  for  the  dispatch-boat." 

Again  he  laughed. 

"  I  had  forgotten,"  he  said,  "  but  we  will  enjoy  our 
204 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

dinner  all  the  more  when  we  sit  down  to  it.     Confess 
that  you  're  used  up." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  don't  feel  just  as  active  as  I  did  in  the 
morning." 

The  old  gentleman  shook  his  head  with  a  slow  mo- 
tion that  had  something  of  pity  in  it. 

"  You  English  have  no  aptitude  for  business.  It 
shows  the  decadent  state  of  Europe  that  Britain  has 
held  supremacy  on  that  continent  for  so  long." 

"  I  should  be  sorry,  sir,  if  you  took  me  for  a  typical 
example  of  the  English  business  man.  I  doubt  if  in 
any  respect  I  am  a  credit  to  my  country,  still  I  am  not 
such  an  idiot  as  to  suppose  I  shine  as  a  man  of  affairs. 
My  training  has  been  against  me,  even  if  I  had  any 
natural  aptitude  for  commerce,  which  I  doubt.  Still, 
we  are  supposed  to  possess  some  creditable  captains  of 
industry  on  our  little  island." 

"  Supposed !  That  's  just  it,  and  the  supposition 
holds  good  until  they  are  up  against  something  better. 
Now,  if  you  were  in  Chicago,  and  you  wished  me  to 
join  you  in  a  deal  while  I  was  cruising  on  the  coast  of 
Japan,  what  would  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  should  write  you  a  letter  explaining  the  project 
I  had  to  put  before  you." 

"  Quite  so.  You  would  n't  go  to  the  expense  of 
cabling  the  whole  thing,  would  you  ?  " 

"  If  the  scheme  was  important  enough  I  might  go 
to  that  cost." 

The  old  gentleman  held  in  his  hand  two  or  three 
cable  messages  which  I  had  not  seen,  also  a  letter  or 
two. 

205 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Now,  here  is  a  man/'  he  said,  "  who  has  hit  upon 
a  plan  I  have  often  thought  of  myself.  He  has,  he 
tells  me,  made  a  combination  which  possesses  consid- 
erable strength,  but  in  order  to  be  impregnable  he 
needs  my  co-operation.  He  cables  the  points  very  con- 
cisely, and  puts  his  case  with  a  good  deal  of  power; 
but  that  cablegram  is  merely  an  advance  agent  for  him- 
self, expensive  as  it  is.  His  object  is  to  hold  me  at 
Yokohama  until  he  can  arrive.  He  actually  crosses 
the  continent  to  San  Francisco,  and  takes  the  first 
steamer  for  Japan.  I  received  his  cablegram  at  Yoko- 
hama, but  did  not  wait  for  him.  I  sent  off  a  word  or 
two  myself  to  Chicago,  asking  confidential  information 
which  I  have  now  received.  Just  before  we  left  for 
Corea  I  got  a  telegram  from  this  man  in  Yokohama, 
asking  me  to  wait  for  him  at  Nagasaki,  which  I  did  not 
do,  because  I  wished  to  impress  on  the  energetic  indi- 
vidual that  I  was  not  anxious  to  fall  in  with  his  plan, 
and  I  knew  that,  having  come  so  far,  he  would  not  re- 
turn without  seeing  me.  Meanwhile  I  determined  to 
find  out  whether  his  combination  is  as  strong  as  he  said 
it  was,  and  this  information  is  now  in  my  possession. 
Also,  I  wished  on  my  own  account  to  make  a  combine 
so  formidable  that  whether  I  gave  my  adherence  to  the 
one  or  the  other  my  weight  would  tip  the  beam  in  fa- 
vour of  the  one  I  joined.  This  combination  also  has 
been  completed,  and  I  hold  the  balance,  of  course. 
Our  friend  who  has  come  over  from  Japan  probably 
does  not  know  that  there  is  any  opposition  to  his 
scheme,  and  no  one  in  the  world  except  yourself  and 
myself  and  a  man  in  Chicago  knows  I  have  anything 

206 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

to  do  with  the  other  combine.  You  see  I  am  just 
yachting  for  pleasure  and  for  health,  and  am  reluctant 
to  touch  business  at  all.  At  least,  that  is  the  informa- 
tion which  I  intend  to  be  imparted  to  our  friend,  who 
is  now  impatiently  awaiting  me  at  the  Nagasaki  Hotel. 
You  might  think  that  I  should  invite  him  to  come 
aboard  my  yacht  and  talk  the  matter  over,  or  that  I 
should  go  ashore  and  visit  him,  which  he  asks  me  to 
do ;  but  I  shall  do  neither.  You  see  I  want  Mr.  John 
C.  Cammerford  to  realize  that  he  is  not  nearly  so  im- 
portant in  the  commercial  affairs  of  America  as  he  sup- 
poses himself  to  be." 

"  John  C.  Cammerford ! "  I  cried  in  amazement. 
"  I  think  I  have  met  him  in  New  York,  though  it  may 
not  be  the  same  man." 

"Well,  the  name  is  not  a  common  one,  and  if  you  know 
him,  all  the  better.  I  now  instruct  you  to  call  on  him 
first  thing  to-morrow  morning.  You  will  notice  that 
I  have  trusted  you  fully  in  this  matter  by  giving  you 
information  which  must  not  leak  through  to  Cammer- 
ford. You  will  tell  him,  however,  that  his  combina- 
tion is  not  the  only  one  in  the  United  States,  and  if  I  'm 
to  join  his  he  must  prove  to  me  that  it  is  stronger  than 
the  opposition.  He  must  give  you  a  list  of  the  firms 
he  has  combined,  and  he  will  have  to  show  you  the 
original  documents  pertaining  to  the  options  he  has  re- 
ceived. I  want  to  know  how  long  his  options  last. 
They  will  probably  have  at  least  six  months'  life,  or  he 
could  never  have  taken  this  journey  to  see  me.  If  he 
satisfies  you  that  his  combination  is  genuine,  and  that 
his  options  have  still  several  months  to  run,  then  I  shall 

207 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

consent  to  meet  him.  If  he  cannot  do  this,  or  if  he 
refuses  to  do  it,  I  shall  send  a  few  cables  which  will 
certainly  upset  his  apple-cart  before  he  reaches  San 
Francisco.  You  will  not  promise  anything  on  my  be- 
half, and  I  should  have  no  objection  if  he  imagines 
that  my  lack  of  eagerness  in  meeting  him  is  caused  by 
the  fact  that  the  other  combination  appears  to  me  the 
stronger." 

"  Would  you  mind  my  sending  to  him  your  card  in- 
stead of  my  own?  He  might  possibly  refuse  to  meet 
me  if  I  sent  in  the  name  of  Tremorne." 

"  That  's  all  right.  Use  my  card  if  you  wish.  The 
main  point  is  that  you  get  as  much  information  as  pos- 
sible, and  give  as  little  in  return  as  may  be.  There  's 
the  dinner  gong,  and  I  'm  quite  ready  to  meet  what- 
ever 's  on  the  table.  Come  along." 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  I  went  ashore,  and, 
arriving  at  the  Nagasaki  Hotel,  sent  up  Mr.  Hemster's 
card  to  Mr.  John  C.  Cammerford,  and  was  promptly 
admitted  to  his  presence.  He  occupied  what  I  took  to 
be  the  finest  suite  of  rooms  in  the  hotel,  and  had  a  large 
table  placed  near  the  principal  window  of  his  sitting- 
room,  so  that  his  back  was  to  the  light,  which  shone 
full  on  the  face  of  any  visitor  who  called  upon  him.  It 
was  quite  evident  to  me  that  Mr.  Cammerford  hoped 
to  impress  Silas  K.  Hemster  with  the  fact  that  he  was 
carrying  on  great  affairs  right  here  in  Japan  similar  to 
those  that  occupied  his  attention  in  Chicago.  The  table 
was  littered  with  papers,  and  Cammerford  sat  busily 
writing  as  if  every  moment  was  of  importance.  All 
his  plans  for  the  impression  of  a  visitor  fell  to  pieces 

208 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

like  a  house  of  cards  when  the  astonished  man  saw 
who  was  approaching  him.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  with 
a  cry  of  dismay  and  backed  toward  the  window.  From 
his  position  I  could  not  very  well  read  the  expression 
on  his  face,  but  it  seemed  to  be  one  of  fear. 

"  I  'm  expecting  anothe'r  man,"  he  cried,  "  you  have 
no  right  here.  Get  out." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Cammerford,  I  have  a 
right  here,  and  I  have  come  to  talk  business." 

"  What  are  you  following  me  for  ?  Why  are  you 
here  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  I  am  here  as  the  representative  of  Silas  K.  Hem- 
ster,  of  Chicago,  and  with  his  permission  I  sent  up  his 
card  to  you." 

Gradually  his  self-possession  returned  to  him,  but  he 
took  care  to  keep  the  table  between  himself  and  me. 
He  indulged  in  a  little  cynical  laugh. 

"  You  took  me  by  surprise,  Mr.  Tremorne.  I — I 
thought  perhaps  you  intended  trying  to  collect — a — 
a  little  account  of  your  own." 

"  No,  I  came  entirely  on  Mr.  Hemster's  behalf. 
Have  I  your  permission  to  be  seated  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  Sit  down,  sit  down,"  and,  saying  this 
with  an  effort  at  bluff  geniality,  he  placed  himself  in 
the  chair  he  had  so  abruptly  vacated. 

"  I  thought,  as  I  said  before,"  he  added,  with  another 
uneasy  laugh,  "  that  you  had  some  notion  of  collecting 
a  little  money  from  me.  The  last  time  we  met  you  held 
a  very  mistaken  view  of  the  business  matter  in  which 
we  had  been  associated.  I  assure  you  now  —  you 
would  n't  listen  then  —  that  everything  done  was 

209 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

strictly  legal,  and  no  one  was  more  sorry  than  I  that 
the  deal  did  not  prove  as  successful  as  we  had  both 
hoped." 

"  You  cover  me  with  confusion,  Mr.  Cammerford. 
I  have  no  remembrance  that  I  ever  disputed  the  legality 
of  the  transaction,  and  I  deeply  regret  that  I  seem  to 
have  permitted  myself  at  the  time  to  use  harsh  lan- 
guage which  you  are  quite  justified  in  deploring.  If 
it  is  any  comfort  to  you,  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  I 
look  upon  the  half-million  dollars  as  irretrievably  lost, 
and  at  this  hour  yesterday  had  no  more  idea  you  were 
in  Japan  than  you  had  that  I  was,  if  you  did  me  the 
honour  to  think  of  me." 

Cammerford  gazed  doubtfully  across  the  table  at  me, 
as  if  he  feared  there  was  something  sinister  behind  all 
tliis  show  of  submission. 

"  It  was  you,  then,  who  sent  up  Mr.  Hemster's 
card?" 

"  Yes.     He  asked  me  to  see  you." 

"  Why  could  n't  he  come  himself  ?    Is  he  ill  ?  " 

"  No,  he  never  was  in  better  health,"  I  answered ; 
"  but  he  is  exceedingly  busy.  I  am  by  way  of  being 
his  confidential  man,  and  if  you  can  prove  to  me  that 
the  claims  you  have  made  are  real,  I  shall  have  much 
pleasure  in  arranging  an  interview  between  you." 

"  Oh,  that  's  how  the  land  lies,  is  it  ?  What  do  you 
know  of  my  proposals  to  Mr.  Hemster  ?  " 

"  I  have  read  all  your  letters  and  telegrams  relating 
to  the  matter  this  morning ;  in  fact,  I  have  them  in  my 
pocket  now." 

"  Mr.  Hemster  seems  to  repose  great  trust  in  you. 
210 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

That  is  rather  unusual  with  him.  I  suppose  you  have 
some  document  to  prove  that  you  are  empowered  to 
deal?" 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  am  not  empowered  to  deal. 
I  am  merely  the  avant  coureur  of  Mr.  Hemster.  I  sent 
you  up  his  card,  and  here  are  your  own  letters,  tele- 
grams, and  cablegrams.  I  was  told  to  inform  you  that 
since  you  have  left  America  another  combination  which 
Mr.  Hemster  considers  nearly  if  not  quite  as  strong  as 
your  own  has  been  put  through,  and  Mr.  Hemster  has 
been  invited  to  join.  He  is  well  acquainted  with  the 
person  who  has  effected  the  second  combination,  but, 
as  you  have  just  intimated,  Mr.  Hemster  is  not  a  man 
to  allow  personal  considerations  to  deflect  him  from  the 
strict  business  path.  If  you  can  show  that  your  com- 
bination is  the  stronger,  I  can  guarantee  that  you  will 
have  opportunity  of  speaking  with  Mr.  Hemster.  If 
not,  he  sails  away  to-morrow  in  his  yacht,  and  deprives 
himself  of  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  as  you  happen 
to  be  an  entire  stranger  to  him." 

"  How  am  I  to  show  him  all  this  if  he  refuses  to 
see  me  ?  " 

"  You  are  to  convince  me  of  two  things  by  exhibit- 
ing the  original  documents :  first,  that  these  firms  men- 
tioned in  your  letters  have  given  you  options;  and 
second,  the  length  of  the  options, — the  date  on  which 
they  expire,  in  fact." 

"And  if  I  refuse?"  said  Cammerford,  seemingly 
puzzled  and  displeased  at  the  trend  of  our  conversa- 
tion. 

I  rose  to  my  feet  and  bowed  to  him. 

211 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  If  you  refuse,"  I  said,  "  that  ends  my  mission. 
Good-morning  to  you." 

"  Wait  a  bit,  wait  a  bit,"  cried  Cammerford,  "  sit 
down,  Mr.  Tremorne.  This  requires  a  little  thought. 
Please  don't  go ;  just  sit  down  for  a  moment.  I  don't 
see  how  Mr.  Hemster  can  expect  me  to  show  my  whole 
hand  to  one  who,  begging  your  pardon,  is  a  compara- 
tive stranger,  and  one  who  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
our  transaction.  Secrecy  is  the  very  soul  of  such  a 
deal  as  I  am  trying  to  put  through.  What  guarantee 
have  I  that  you  will  not  cable  to  New  York  or  Chicago 
full  particulars  of  what  I  am  asked  to  tell  you." 

"  None  whatever,  Mr.  Cammerford." 

"  Well,  that  's  not  business." 

"  Quite  so.  Then  I  shall  report  your  opinion  to  Mr. 
Hemster." 

"What  's  his  object?  Why  does  n't  he  come  and 
see  me  himself  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  may  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  wishes 
to  know  whether  or  not  it  is  worth  his  while  to  meet 
you.  You  see,  Mr.  Cammerford,  you  are  a  stranger  to 
him.  He  was  good  enough  to  hint  that  if  I  reported 
favourably  on  your  scheme,  he  would  wait  over  a  day 
or  two  and  go  into  the  matter  with  you.  As  I  have 
said,  he  is  exceedingly  busy.  I  left  him  immersed  in 
letters  and  cablegrams,  and  all  day  yesterday  we  were 
over  head  and  ears  in  matters  of  rather  large  impor- 
tance. If  you  had  been  his  Chicago  acquaintance  who 
formed  the  other  combine,  I  imagine  he  would  have 
seen  you ;  as  it  is,  he  has  sent  me." 

"  Well,  now,  look  here,  Tremorne,"  cried  Cammer- 

212 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

ford,  with  a  fine  assumption  of  honest  bluffness,  "  let 
us  talk  as  man  to  man.  We  're  not  school-boys  or  sen- 
timental girls.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  there  is 
not  one  chance  in  ten  million  for  my  seeing  old  Hem- 
ster  if  the  choice  in  the  matter  lies  with  you.  You  are 
exceedingly  polite,  and  speak  as  sweetly  as  molasses, 
but  I  was  n't  born  yesterday,  and  am  not  such  a  darned 
fool  as  to  suppose  you  are  going  to  put  in  a  good  word 
for  me." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Mr.  Cammerford ;  I  shall  put 
in  no  good  word  for  you  that  I  can  possibly  keep  out. 
Nevertheless  I  shall  report  fairly  to  Mr.  Hemster  ex- 
actly what  you  place  before  me." 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  guff.  You  '11  knife  me  because 
you  've  got  the  chance  to  do  it.  I  quite  admit  it  will 
be  done  with  smooth  talk,  but  it  will  be  effective  never- 
theless." 

"  If  you  believe  that,  Mr.  Cammerford,  I  shall  make 
no  endeavour  to  convince  you  of  the  contrary.  You 
will  act,  of  course,  as  best  serves  your  own  interest. 
Personally  I  do  not  care  a  halfpenny  whether  the  great 
beef  combine  is  formed  in  the  interest  of  the  dear  pub- 
lic, or  goes  to  smash  through  the  non-agreement  of  its 
promoters.  I  fancy  you  cannot  float  such  a  trust  and 
leave  Mr.  Hemster  out,  but  you  know  more  about  that 
than  I.  Now  it  's  your  next  move.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  ?  " 

Cammerford  leaned  across  the  table,  showing  me  his 
crafty  eyes  narrowing  as  he  seemed  trying  to  find  out 
what  my  game  really  was.  I  knew  exactly  where  his 
error  lay  in  dealing  with  me.  He  could  not  believe 

213 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

that  I  was  honestly  trying  to  serve  my  employer,  and 
so  he  was  bound  to  go  wrong  in  any  assumption  formed 
by  taking  such  false  premises  for  granted. 

"  See  here,  Tremorne,  I  'm  going  to  talk  straight 
business  to  you.  Whatever  may  be  our  pretences,  we 
are  none  of  us  engaged  in  this  for  our  health ;  we  want 
to  make  money.  I  want  to  make  money;  Hemster 
wants  to  make  money;  don't  you  want  to  make 
money  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied,  "  that 's  what  I  'm  here  for." 

"  Now  you  're  shouting,"  exclaimed  Cammerford, 
an  expression  of  great  relief  coming  into  his  face.  He 
thought  that  at  last  he  had  reached  firm  ground.  "  I 
confess,  then,"  he  went  on,  "  that  it  is  supremely  im- 
portant I  should  meet  Hemster,  and  he  should  be  fa- 
vourably disposed  toward  me.  It  is  not  likely  I  should 
have  taken  a  journey  clear  from  New  York  to  Naga- 
saki if  there  was  n't  a  good  deal  at  stake.  You  see,  I  'm 
perfectly  frank  with  you.  You  Ve  got  the  drop  on  me. 
Just  now  my  hands  are  right  up  toward  the  ceiling,  and 
I  'm  willing  to  do  the  square  thing.  Did  you  know 
whom  you  were  going  to  meet  when  you  left  the 
yacht?" 

"  Yes,  I  did." 

"  Mr.  Hemster  mentioned  my  name  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did." 

"  Did  you  tell  him  anything  of  our  former  deal- 
ings?" 

"  No,  I  did  not." 

"  He  does  know  you  lost  half  a  million  in  the  States 
a  while  since  ?  " 

214 


"  Oh,  yes,  he  knows  that,  but  he  does  n't  know 
you  're  the  man  who  got  it." 

"  Hang  it  all,  Tremorne ;  don't  put  it  that  way. 
I  'm  not  the  man  who  got  it ;  I  lost  money  as  well  as 
you  did." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon ;  I  thought  we  were  talk- 
ing frankly  and  honestly  to  each  other.  Well,  be  that 
as  it  may,  Mr.  Hemster  knows  I  lost  the  money,  but 
he  does  n't  know  you  're  the  man  who  was  so  unfor- 
tunate as  to  be  in  the  business  with  me." 

"  Well  now,  Tremorne,  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  '11  do. 
You  say  nothing  of  this  former  company  of  ours,  and 
if  you  will  report  favourably  on  what  I  have  to  tell  you 
so  that  old  Hemster  will  come  and  see  me,  or  allow  me 
to  go  to  him,  I  '11  give  you  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars cash  as  soon  as  our  deal  is  completed." 

"  I  refuse  it." 

"You  don't  trust  me?" 

"  No,  I  do  not,  but  I  refuse  it  nevertheless.  I  should 
refuse  it  if  you  offered  me  the  money  here  and  now." 

Cammerford  leaned  back  in  his  chair. 

"  You  want  to  go  the  whole  hog?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  I. 

"  You  want  the  whole  five  hundred  thousand  or 
nothing.  Well,  I  tell  you  at  once  I  can  't  afford  to  give 
that  much.  I  '11  raise  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  make 
the  total  amount  two  hundred  and  fifty;  but  I  can't 
go  a  cent  more,  and  there  is  no  use  trying  to  bluff  me." 

"  I  am  not  trying  to  bluff  you,  Mr.  Cammerford.  I 
should  refuse  the  bribe  if  you  made  it  five  hundred 
thousand." 

215 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Oh,  it 's  not  a  bribe  at  all,  it 's — well,  whatever 
you  like  to  call  it.  Restitution  if  you  prefer  to  put  it 
that  way." 

"  It  does  n't  matter  what  it  is  called,  I  have  come  for 
the  purpose  of  hearing  what  you  have  to  say  regarding 
the  great  beef  combine.  If  you  have  nothing  to  say 
I  shall  leave,  because,  as  I  told  you,  Mr.  Hemster  has  a 
good  deal  of  work  on  his  hands,  and  I  'm  trying  to 
help  him." 

"  Well,"  said  Cammerford,  in  a  hopeless  tone  of 
voice,  "  you  are  the  darndest  fool  I  ever  met  in  my 
life." 

"  You  are  not  the  first  person  who  has  said  as  much, 
Mr.  Cammerford,  although  not  in  precisely  the  same 
language.  Now,  for  the  last  time,  give  me  a  list  of 
the  names  of  those  who  are  behind  you." 

"  I  '11  do  that  if  you  will  promise  me  not  to  say  any- 
thing to  old  Hemster  about  our  former  relations." 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot  make  you  any  such  promise, 
Mr.  Cammerford.  It  is  my  duty  to  lay  before  Mr. 
Hemster  everything  you  place  before  me,  and  it  is  also 
my  duty  to  warn  him  that  I  consider  you  as  big  a 
scoundrel  as  you  consider  me  a  fool." 

"  That 's  plain  talk,"  said  Cammerford,  scowling. 

"  I  intend  it  to  be.  Now,  without  further  loss  of 
time,  let  me  see  your  documents." 

For  some  minutes  Cammerford  maintained  silence, 
a  heavy  frown  on  his  brow,  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
carpet  beneath  the  table.  At  last  he  muttered,  "  Well, 
I  'm  damned !  " — and,  taking  a  bundle  of  papers  from 
before  him,  he  slipped  off  the  elastic  band,  picked  out 

216 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

one  after  another  which  he  perused  with  care,  then 
handed  them  across  the  table  to  me,  watching  me  very 
narrowly  as  he  did  so.  I  took  the  papers  one  by  one 
and  read  them  over,  making  a  note  with  my  pencil  now 
and  then  in  my  pocket-book.  They  proved  to  be  ex- 
,  actly  what  he  had  said  they  were  in  his  letter  to  Mr. 
Hemster.  I  pushed  them  back  toward  him  again, 
saying: 

"  I  see  by  some  of  these  documents  that  the  option  is 
for  six  months,  but  others  make  no  mention  of  the  time. 
Why  is  that?" 

"  Because  we  have  bought  the  businesses  and  the  op- 
tions are  ours  for  ever." 

"  Have  you  anything  to  prove  that  ?  " 

Without  further  reply  he  selected  several  other 
papers  and  presented  them  to  me.  These  also  were 
satisfactory. 

"  I  shall  report  to  Mr.  Hemster  that  your  position 
appears  to  be  quite  as  strong  as  you  stated  it  to  be,  and 
so  I  wish  you  good-morning,  Mr.  Cammerford." 

"  Hold  your  horses  a  minute,"  he  cried,  seeing  me 
about  to  arise.  "  As  you  have  asked  me  a  whole  lot  of 
questions,  I  'd  like  you  to  answer  a  few  of  mine. 
Who  's  in  this  other  combine  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  it,  except  that  it  is  in  existence." 

"  Do  you  imagine  it  's  a  bluff  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you  I  don't  know.  I  should  think  Mr. 
Hemster  is  not  a  man  to  engage  in  bluff." 

"  Oh,  is  n't  he  ?  That  shows  how  little  you  know  of 
him.  Have  you  been  with  him  ever  since  he  left  Chi- 
cago ?  " 

217 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  No." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  his  employ  ?  " 
"  That  is  a  private  matter,  Mr.  Cammerford,  which 
concerns  no  one  but  myself  and  Mr.  Hemster.  Be- 
sides, to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  came  here  to  receive  in- 
formation, not  to  impart  it ;  so  it  is  useless  to  question 
me  further." 

"  Oh,  one  more  won't  do  any  harm,"  said  Cammer- 
ford, rising  when  I  had  risen ;  "  do  you  think  old  Hem- 
ster will  consent  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  almost  certain  that  he  will." 
"  Through  your  recommendation,  eh  ?  " 
"  No,  I  shall  strongly  advise  him  not  to  see  you." 
"  Well,  I  'm  damned  if  I  understand  your  game. 
It  's  either  too  deep  or  too  mighty  shallow  for  me." 

"  It  does  n't  occur  to  you,  Mr.  Cammerford,  that 
there  's  no  game  at  all,  and  therefore  there  can  be 
neither  depth  nor  shallowness.  You  are  troubling 
your  mind  about  what  does  not  exist." 

"  Then  I  am  forced  to  take  refuge  in  my  former  as- 
sumption, not  at  all  a  flattering  one,  which  is  that 
you  're  a  fool." 

"  I  think  that  's  the  safest  position  to  assume,  Mr. 
Cammerford ;  so,  finally,  good-bye." 

I  left  the  man  standing  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  his 
hands  on  the  banister,  gazing  after  me  with  an  expres- 
sion of  great  discontent. 


218 


CHAPTER   XIX 

WHEN  I  arrived  at  the  landing  I  saw  the  lit- 
tle naphtha  launch  making  a  trip  from  the 
yacht  to  the  shore.  As  it  swung  to  the 
steps  I  noticed  that  Gertrude  Hemster  was  aboard  with 
her  new  companion,  a  Japanese  lady,  said  to  be  of  ex- 
tremely high  rank,  whom  the  girl  had  engaged  on  the 
first  day  of  our  arrival  at  Nagasaki,  when  her  father 
was  so  deeply  immersed  in  business.  The  old  gentle- 
man told  me  later  that  his  daughter  had  taken  an  un- 
fortunate dislike  to  Miss  Stretton,  and  had  very  rapid- 
ly engaged  this  person,  who,  it  was,  alleged,  could 
speak  Chinese,  Japanese,  Corean,  and  pidgin  English. 

In  spite  of  what  her  father  had  said,  I  thought  the 
engaging  of  this  woman  with  so  many  lingual  advan- 
tages was  rather  a  stroke  aimed  at  myself  than  an  ac- 
tion deposing  Hilda  Stretton.  I  suppose  Miss  Hemster 
thought  to  give  proof  that  I  was  no  longer  necessary  as 
interpreter  on  board  the  yacht.  I  doubted  the  accom- 
plishments of  the  Japanese  high  dame,  thinking  it  im- 
possible to  select  such  a  treasure  on  such  short  notice, 
and  so  the  evening  before  had  ventured  to  address  her 
in  Corean;  but  she  answered  me  very  demurely  and 
correctly  in  that  language,  with  a  little  oblique  smile, 

219 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

which  showed  that  she  knew  why  I  had  spoken  to  her, 
and  I  saw  that  I  had  been  mistaken  in  slighting  her 
educational  capacities. 

I  went  down  the  steps  and  proffered  my  escort  to  the 
young  woman,  but  she  was  so  earnestly  engaged  in 
thanking  the  crew  of  the  naphtha  launch  that  she  quite 
ignored  my  presence.  She  sprang  lightly  up  the  steps 
and  walked  away  to  the  nearest  'rickshaw,  followed  by 
the  toddling  Japanese  creature.  The  boat's  crew,  who 
were  champions  of  Miss  Hemster  to  a  man,  each  em- 
bued  with  intense  admiration  for  her,  as  was  right  and 
natural,  may  or  may  not  have  noticed  her  contemptu- 
ous treatment  of  me ;  but  after  all  it  did  not  much  mat- 
ter, so  I  stepped  into  the  launch  and  we  set  out  for  the 
yacht.  • 

I  found  Mr.  Hemster  immersed  in  his  papers  as 
usual.  Apparently  he  had  never  been  on  deck  to  get 
a  breath  of  fresh  air  since  his  steamship  arrived  in  the 
harbour. 

"  Well,"  he  said  shortly,  looking  up ;  "  you  saw  Mr. 
Cammerford  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Did  he  give  down  or  hold  up  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  very  much  startled  when  he  saw  me, 
and  I  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  him  to  discuss  the 
matter  in  hand." 

"  Was  he  afraid  you  had  come  to  rob  him,  or  did  he 
think  he  had  got  me  in  a  corner  ?  " 

"  No.  He  knew  who  it  was  that  approached  him, 
but  I  should  have  told  you,  Mr.  Hemster,  that  this  is 
the  man  who  got  my  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 

220 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

some  years  ago,  and  he  was  under  the  mistaken  im- 
pression that  I  had  come  to  wring  some  part  of  it  back 
from  him." 

"  Ah,  he  thought  you  were  camping  on  his  trail,  did 
he  ?  What  did  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  explained  that  I  was  there  merely  as  your  repre- 
sentative. He  made  some  objection  at  first  to  showing 
his  hand,  as  he  called  it;  but  finally,  seeing  that  he 
could  not  come  at  his  desired  interview  with  you  unless 
he  took  me  into  his  confidence,  he  did  so,  although  with 
extreme  reluctance." 

"  Yes,  and  what  were  your  conclusions  ?  " 

"  My  conclusions  are  that  his  letter  to  you  was  per- 
fectly truthful.  He  has  the  following  firms  behind  him 
on  a  six  months'  option,  and  these  others  have  sold 
their  businesses  to  him  outright.  His  position,  there- 
fore, is  all  that  he  asserted  it  to  be,"  and  with  this  I 
placed  my  notes  before  my  chief. 

"  You  are  thoroughly  convinced  of  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am ;  but  of  course  you  will  see  the  papers  he 
has  to  show,  and  may  find  error  or  fraud  where  I  was 
unable  to  detect  either." 

"  All  right,  I  shall  see  him  then." 

"  There  is  one  thing  further,  Mr.  Hemster.  He  of- 
fered me  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  then  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  if  I  would  conceal  from  you 
the  fact  that  he  had  formerly  defrauded  me." 

"  Yes,  and  what  did  you  say  ?  " 

"  I  refused  the  money,  of  course." 

The  old  gentleman  regarded  me  with  an  expression 
full  of  pity. 

221 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  am  sorry  to  mention  it,  Tremorne,  but  you  are  a 
numskull.  Why  did  n't  you  take  the  money  ?  I  'm 
quite  able  to  look  after  myself.  It  does  n't  matter  in  the 
least  to  me  whether  or  not  the  man  has  cheated  every- 
one in  the  United  States.  If  he  cheats  me  as  well,  he  's 
entitled  to  all  he  can  make.  '  The  laborer  is  worthy  of 
his  hire,'  as  the  good  Book  says." 

As  I  had  used  this  quotation  to  his  daughter,  I  now 
surmised  that  she  had  told  her  father  something  of  our 
stormy  conversation. 

"  Quite  true,  Mr.  Hemster,  but  the  good  Book  also 
says,  'Avoid  the  very  appearance  of  evil,'  and  that  I 
have  done  by  refusing  his  bribe." 

"  Ah,  well,  you  don't  get  anything  for  nothing  in 
this  world,  and  I  think  your  duty  was  to  have  closed 
with  his  offer  so  long  as  you  told  me  the  truth  about 
the  documents  I  sent  you  to  search." 

"  He  is  a  man  I  would  have  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with,  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  There  's  where  you  are  wrong.  If  he  happens  to 
possess  something  I  want,  why  in  the  world  should  I 
not  deal  with  him.  His  moral  character  is  of  no  inter- 
est to  me.  As  well  refuse  to  buy  a  treatise  on  the 
English  language  because  the  bookseller  drops  his 
'  h's.'  I  am  very  much  disappointed  in  your  business 
capacity,  Mr.  Tremorne." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  don't  come  up  to  your  expectations, 
sir ;  but  he  is  a  man  whom  I  should  view  with  the  ut- 
most distrust." 

"  Oh,  if  you  are  doing  business  with  him,  certainly. 
I  view  everyone  with  distrust  and  never  squeal  if  I  'm 

222 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

cheated.    Tell  me  about  this  deal  with  Cammerford  in 
which  you  lost  your  money." 

I  related  to  him  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  which 
need  not  be  set  down  here.  When  I  had  finished  Mr. 
Hemster  said  slowly : 

"  If  you  will  excuse  me,  Mr.  Tremorne,  never  say 
that  this  man  swindled  you.  Such  an  expression  is  a 
misuse  of  language.  Everything  done  was  perfectly 
legal." 

"  Oh,  I  know  that  well  enough.  In  fact  he  men- 
tioned its  legality  during  our  interview  this  morning. 
Nevertheless,  he  was  well  aware  that  the  mine  was 
valueless." 

"  What  of  that  ?  It  was  n't  his  business  to  inform 
you ;  it  was  your  business  to  find  out  the  true  worth  of 
the  mine.  You  are  simply  blaming  Cammerford  for 
your  own  carelessness.  If  Cammerford  had  not  got 
the  money,  the  next  man  who  met  you  would;  so  I 
suppose  he  sized  you  up,  and  thought  he  might  as  well 
have  it,  and,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  quite  agree  with 
him.  Now,  if  I  told  you  this  bag  contained  a  thousand 
dollars  in  gold,  would  you  accept  my  word  for  it  with- 
out counting  the  money  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  would." 

The  old  gentleman  seemed  taken  aback  by  this  reply, 
and  stared  at  me  as  if  I  were  some  new  human  speci- 
men he  had  not  met  before. 

"  You  would,  eh?  "  he  cried  at  last.  "  Well,  you  're 
hopeless!  I  don't  know  but  you  were  right  to  refuse 
his  bribe.  The  money  would  not  do  you  the  least  good 
if  you  got  it  again." 

223 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  would,  Mr.  Hemster.  I  should  invest  it 
in  Government  securities,  and  risk  not  a  penny  of  it  in 
any  speculation." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  'd  have  that  much  sense,"  de- 
murred the  old  gentleman,  turning  again  to  his  desk. 
"  However,  you  have  served  me  well,  even  if  you  have 
served  yourself  badly.  I  will  write  a  letter  to  Cammer- 
ford  and  let  him  know  the  terms  on  which  I  will  join 
his  scheme." 

"  You  surely  don't  intend  to  do  that,  Mr.  Hemster, 
without  seeing  the  documents  yourself  ?  " 

"  Oh,  have  no  fear ;  you  must  not  think  I  am  going 
to  adopt  your  business  tactics  at  my  age.  Run  away 
and  let  Hilda  give  you  some  lunch.  I  shall  not  have 
time  for  anything  but  the  usual  sandwich.  My  daugh- 
ter 's  gone  ashore.  She  wants  lunch  at  the  Nagasaki 
Hotel,  being  tired  of  our  ship's  fare.  I  '11  have  this 
document  ready  for  you  to  take  to  Cammerford  after 
you  have  eaten." 

Nothing  loth,  I  hurried  away  in  search  of  my  dear 
girl,  of  whom  I  had  caught  only  slight  glimpses  since 
her  sudden  dismissal  by  Gertrude  Hemster.  I  was  glad 
to  know  that  we  should  have  the  ship  practically  to 
ourselves,  and  I  flatter  myself  she  was  not  sorry  either. 
Lunch  was  not  yet  ready,  so  I  easily  persuaded  her  to 
come  upon  deck  with  me,  and  there  I  placed  the 
chairs  and  table  just  as  they  had  been  at  the  moment 
when  Miss  Hemster  had  come  so  unexpectedly  upon 
us. 

"  Now,  Hilda,"  I  began  when  we  had  seated  our- 
selves, "  I  want  an  answer  to  that  question." 

224 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"What  question?" 

"  You  know  very  well  what  question ;  the  answer 
was  just  hovering  on  your  lips  when  we  were  inter- 
rupted." 

"No,  it  wasn't." 

"  Hilda,  there  was  an  expression  in  your  eyes  which 
I  had  never  seen  before,  and  if  your  lips  were  about  to 
contradict  the  message  they  sent  to  me " 

"  Seemed  to  send  to  you,"  she  interrupted  with  a 
smile. 

"  Was  it  only  seeming,  then  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  I  'm  very  much  disappointed 
with  myself.  I  don't  call  this  a  courtship  at  all.  My 
idea  of  the  preliminaries  to  a  betrothal  was  a  long 
friendship,  many  moonlight  walks,  and  conversations 
about  delightful  topics  in  which  both  parties  are  inter- 
ested. I  pictured  myself  waiting  eagerly  under  some 
rose-covered  porch  while  the  right  person  hurried 
toward  me, — on  horseback  for  choice.  And  now  turn 
from  that  picture  to  the  actuality.  We  have  known 
each  other  only  a  few  days ;  our  first  conversation  was 
practically  a  quarrel ;  we  have  talked  about  finance,  and 
poverty,  and  a  lot  of  repulsive  things  of  that  sort.  If 
I  were  to  say, '  Yes,'  I  should  despise  myself  ever  after. 
It  would  appear  as  if  I  had  accepted  the  first  man  who 
offered." 

"  Am  I  the  first  man,  Hilda  ?  I  shall  never  be- 
lieve it." 

"  I  'm  not  going  to  tell  you.  You  ask  altogether  too 
many  questions." 

"  Well,  despite  your  disclaimer,  I  shall  still  insist 
225 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

that  the  right  answer  was  on  your  lips  when  it  and  you 
were  so  rudely  chased  away." 

"  Well,  now,  Mr.  Tremorne " 

"  Rupert,  if  you  please,  Hilda !  " 

"  Well,  now,  Prince  Rupert,  to  show  you  how  far 
astray  you  may  be  in  predicting  what  a  woman  is  about 
to  say,  I  shall  tell  you  exactly  what  was  in  my  mind 
when  the  thread  of  my  thought  was  so  suddenly  cut 
across.  There  were  conditions,  provisos,  stipulations, 
everything  in  the  world  except  the  plain  and  simple 
'  Yes  '  you  seemed  to  anticipate." 

"  Even  in  that  case,  Hilda,  I  am  quite  happy,  because 
these  lead  to  the  end.  It  cannot  be  otherwise,  and  all 
the  provisos  and  stipulations  I  agree  to  beforehand,  so 
let  us  get  directly  to  the  small  but  important  word 
'Yes!'" 

"  Ah,  if  you  agreed  beforehand  that  would  not  be 
legal.  You  could  say  you  had  not  read  the  document, 
or  something  of  that  kind,  and  were  not  in  your  right 
mind  when  you  signed  it." 

"  Then  let  us  have  the  conditions  one  by  one,  Hilda, 
if  you  please." 

"  I  was  going  to  ask  you  to  say  no  more  at  present, 
but  to  wait  until  I  get  home.  I  wanted  you  to  come  to 
me,  and  ask  your  question  then  if  you  were  still  in  the 
same  mind." 

"What  an  absurd  proviso!  And  how  long  would 
that  be  ?  When  shall  you  reach  your  own  home  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  within  a  year,  perhaps  two  years.  It  all 
depends  on  the  duration  of  Mr.  Hemster's  voyage. 
Of  course  it  is  quite  possible  that  at  any  minute  he  may 

226 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

make  up  his  mind  to  return.  I  could  not  leave  him 
alone  here,  but  once  he  is  in  Chicago  he  will  become  so 
absorbed  in  business  that  he  would  never  miss  me." 

"  There  is  an  uncertain  quality  about  that  proviso, 
Hilda,  which  I  don't  at  all  admire." 

"  Now,  you  see  how  it  is,"  she  answered  archly ; 
"  my  very  first  proposition  is  found  fault  with." 

"  On  the  contrary,  it  is  at  once  agreed  to.  Proceed 
with  the  next." 

"  The  next  pertains  more  particularly  to  yourself.  I 
suppose  you  have  no  occupation  in  view  as  yet,  and 
I  also  suppose,  if  you  think  of  marrying,  you  do  not 
expect  to  lead  a  life  of  idleness." 

"  Far  from  it" 

''  Very  well.  I  wish  that  you  would  offer  your  serv- 
ices to  Mr.  Hemster.  I  am  sure  he  has  great  confi- 
dence in  you,  and  as  he  grows  older  he  will  feel  more 
and  more  the  need  of  a  friend.  He  has  had  no  real 
friend  since  my  father  died." 

"  You  forget  about  yourself,  Hilda." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  count ;  I  am  but  a  woman,  and  what  he 
needs  near  him  is  a  clear-headed  man  who  will  give 
him  disinterested  advice.  That  is  a  thing  he  cannot 
buy,  and  he  knows  it." 

"  I  quite  believe  you,  but  nevertheless  where  is  the 
clear-headedness?  He  has  just  asserted  that  I  am  a 
fool." 

"  He  surely  never  called  you  that." 

"  Well,  not  that  exactly,  but  as  near  as  possible  to  it, 
and  somehow,  now  that  I  am  sitting  opposite  to  you,  I 
rather  think  that  he  is  right,  and  I  have  been  quixotic." 

227 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Now  I  come  to  another  condition/'  Hilda  said  with 
some  perceptible  hesitation.  "  It  is  not  a  condition  ex- 
actly, but  an  explanation.  I  have  often  wondered 
whether  I  acted  rightly  or  not  in  the  circumstances, 
and  perhaps  your  view  of  the  case  may  differ  from  the 
conclusion  at  which  I  arrived.  The  one  man  with 
whom  I  should  most  naturally  have  consulted  in  a  busi- 
ness difficulty — Mr.  Hemster  himself — was  out  of  the 
question  in  this  case,  so  I  tried  to  imagine  what  my 
father  would  have  had  me  do,  and  I  acted  accordingly, 
but  not  without  some  qualms  of  conscience  then  and 
since.  I  fear  I  did  not  do  what  an  independent  girl 
should  have  done,  but  now  that  we  have  become  so 
friendly  you  shall  be  my  judge." 

"  You  will  find  me  a  very  lenient  one,  Hilda ;  in  fact 
the  verdict  is  already  given:  you  did  exactly  right 
whatever  it  was." 

"  Sir,  you  must  not  pronounce  until  you  hear.  We 
approach  now  the  dread  secret  of  a  woman  with  a  past. 
That  always  crops  up,  you  know,  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment. I  think  I  told  you  my  father  and  Mr.  Hemster 
were  friends  from  boyhood;  that  they  went  to  school 
together ;  that  their  very  differences  of  character  made 
the  friendship  sincere  and  lasting.  My  father  was  a 
quiet,  scholarly  man,  fond  of  his  books,  while  Mr.  Hem- 
ster cared  nothing  for  literature  or  art,  but  only  for  an 
outdoor  life  and  contest  with  his  fellow  men.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  imagine  that  one  so  sedate  and  self-restrained  as 
Mr.  Hemster  now  seems  to  be  should  have  lived  the  life 
of  a  reckless  cowboy  on  the  plains,  riding  like  a  cen- 
taur, and  shooting  with  an  accuracy  that  saved  his  life 

228 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

on  more  than  one  occasion,  whatever  the  result  to  his 
opponents.  Nevertheless,  in  the  midst  of  this  wild 
career  he  was  the  first,  or  one  of  the  first,  to  realize  the 
future  of  the  cattle  business,  and  thus  he  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  colossal  fortune  he  now  possesses.  I  can 
imagine  him  the  most  capable  man  on  the  ranch,  and  I 
believe  he  was  well  paid  for  his  services  and  saved  his 
money,  there  being  no  way  of  spending  it,  for  he  neither 
drank  nor  gambled.  While  yet  a  very  young  man  an 
opportunity  came  to  him,  and  he  had  not  quite  enough 
capital  to  take  advantage  of  it.  My  father  made  up  the 
deficit,  and,  small  as  the  amount  was,  Mr.  Hemster  has 
always  felt  an  undue  sense  of  obligation  for  a  loan 
which  was  almost  instantly  repaid.  When  my  father 
died  he  left  me  practically  penniless  so  far  as  money 
was  concerned,  but  with  a  musical  education  which 
would  have  earned  me  a  comfortable  living.  Shortly 
after  my  father's  death  the  manager  of  our  local  bank 
informed  me  that  there  had  been  deposited  to  my  order 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  stock  in  Mr. 
Hemster's  great  business.  Now  the  question  is,  Should 
I  have  kept  that,  or  should  I  have  returned  it  to  Mr. 
Hemster  ?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Hilda,  but  there  is  no  question 
there  at  all.  Your  father,  by  reason  of  his  most  oppor- 
tune loan,  was  quite  honestly  entitled  to  a  share  in  the 
business  the  creation  of  which  his  money  had  made 
possible." 

"  But  the  sum  given  to  me  was  out  of  all  proportion 
to  the  amount  lent.  It  is  even  more  out  of  proportion 
than  the  figures  I  have  mentioned  would  lead  you  to 

229 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

suppose,  for  the  interest  paid  is  so  great  that  such  an 
income  could  not  be  produced  by  four  or  five  times  the 
face  value  of  the  stock.  Then  Mr.  Hemster  was  under 
no  obligation  to  have  given  me  a  penny." 

"  Surely  a  man  may  be  allowed  to  do  the  right  thing 
without  being  legally  bound  to  do  it.  I  hope  you  ac- 
cepted without  hesitation." 

"Yes,  I  accepted,  but  with  considerable  hesitation. 
Now,  I  think  Mr.  Hemster  would  be  greatly  annoyed 
if  he  knew  I  had  told  you  all  this.  His  own  daughter 
has  not  the  slightest  suspicion  of  it,  and  I  imagine  her 
father  would  be  even  more  disturbed  if  she  gathered 
any  hint  of  the  real  state  of  affairs.  Indeed,  I  may 
tell  you  that  she  has  dismissed  me  since  this  Japanese 
Countess  came." 

"  Then  we  are  in  the  same  plight,  for  the  young  lady 
ordered  me  to  resign." 

"  And  are  you  going  to  ?  " 

"  Not  likely.  She  did  n't  engage  me,  and  therefore 
has  no  standing  in  the  contract.  But,  to  return  to  our- 
selves, which  is  always  the  paramount  subject  of  inter- 
est, this  dread  secret,  as  you  called  it,  puts  an  entirely 
different  complexion  on  our  relations.  You  must  see 
that.  Here  have  I  been  suing  you  under  the  impression 
that  you  were  a  helpless  dependent.  Now  you  turn  out 
to  be  an  heiress  of  the  most  pronounced  transatlantic 
type.  You  once  accused  me  of  being  dull  in  compre- 
hension." 

"  I  never  did." 

"  Well,  people  do  accuse  me  of  that ;  nevertheless  I 
am  brilliant  enough  to  perceive  that  this  is  a  transfor- 

230 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

mation  scene,  and  that  the  dreams  which  I  have  in- 
dulged in  regarding  our  relationship  are  no  longer 
feasible." 

Hilda  clasped  her  hands  and  rested  her  elbows  on  the 
wicker  table,  leaning  forward  toward  me  with  an  ex- 
pression half  quizzical,  half  pathetic. 

"  I  never  called  you  dull,  Mr.  Tremorne " 

"  Rupert,  if  you  please." 

" but  I  did  think  you  slightly  original,  Rupertus. 

Now,  your  talk  of  all  this  making  a  great  difference  is 
quite  along  the  line  of  conventional  melodrama.  I  see 
you  are  about  to  wave  me  aside.  '  Rich  woman,  be- 
gone,' say  you.  You  are  going  out  into  the  world, 
registering  a  vow  that  until  you  can  place  dollar  for 
dollar  on  the  marriage  altar  you  will  shun  me.  Now  I 
have  read  that  sort  of  thing  ever  since  I  perused  '  The 
Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man,'  but  I  never  expected 
to  encounter  in  real  life  this  haughty,  inflexible,  poor 
young  man." 

"  Rich  woman,  there  are  many  surprises  here  below, 
and  of  course  you  cannot  avoid  your  share  of  them. 
However,  I  shall  not  so  haughtily  wave  you  aside  until 
you  have  answered  that  important  question  with  a 
word  of  three  letters  rather  than  one  of  two.  I  cannot 
refuse  what  is  not  proffered.  So  will  you  kindly  put 
me  in  a  position  to  enact  a  haughty  poor  young  man 
by  saying  definitely  whether  you  will  marry  me  or 
not?" 

"  I  reply,  *  Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,'  and  a  thousand  other 
yes's,  if  you  wish  them.  Now,  young  man,  what  have 
you  to  say  ?  " 

231 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  have  this  to  say,  young  woman,  that  your  wealth 
entirely  changes  the  situation." 

"  And  I  maintain  it  does  n't,  not  a  particle." 

"  I  will  show  you  how  it  does.  I  was  poor,  and  I 
thought  you  were  poor.  Therefore  it  was  my  duty,  as 
you  remarked,  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  wring 
money  from  somebody.  That,  luckily,  is  no  longer 
necessary.  Hilda,  we  may  be  married  this  very  day. 
Come,  I  dare  you  to  consent." 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  dropping  her  hands  to  her  side 
and  leaning  back  in  her  creaking  chair,  looking  criti- 
cally at  me  with  eyes  almost  veiled  by  their  long  lashes, 
a  kindly  smile,  however,  hovering  about  her  pretty  lips, 
"  You  are  in  a  hurry,  are  n't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  did  n't  expect  to  clear  the  way  so  effec- 
tively when  you  spoke  ?  " 

Before  she  could  reply  we  were  interrupted  by  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  Hemster,  who  carried  a  long  sealed  en- 
velope in  his  hand.  He  gazed  affectionately  at  the  girl 
for  a  moment  or  two,  then  pinched  her  flushed  cheek. 

"  Hilda,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "  I  never  saw  you  look- 
ing exactly  like  this  before.  What  have  you  two  been 
talking  about?  Something  pleasant,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,  we  were,"  replied  Hilda  pertly ;  "  we  were 
saying  what  a  nice  man  Silas  K.  Hemster  is." 

The  old  gentleman  turned  his  glance  toward  me  with 
something  of  shrewd  inquiry  in  it. 

"  Hilda,"  he  said  slowly,  "  you  must  n't  believe  too 
much  in  nice  men,  young  or  old.  They  sometimes 
prove  very  disappointing.  Especially  do  I  warn  you 
against  this  confidential  secretary  of  mine.  He  is  the 

232 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

most  idiotically  impractical  person  I  have  ever  met. 
Would  you  believe  it,  my  dear,  that  he  was  to-day  of- 
fered two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  if  he 
would  merely  keep  quiet  about  something  he  knew 
which  he  thought  was  his  duty  to  tell  me,  and  he  was 
fool  enough  to  refuse  the  good  and  useful  cash  ?  " 

"  Please  tell  Miss  Stretton,  Mr.  Hemster,  that  the 
good  and  useful  cash  bore  the  ugly  name  of  bribe,  and 
tell  her  further  that  you  would  have  refused  it  your- 
self." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that.  I  don't  want  the 
girl  to  think  me  quite  in  my  dotage  yet.  Such  a  sum 
is  not  picked  up  so  easily  every  day  on  the  streets  of 
Nagasaki,  as  I  think  you  found  out  a  while  ago." 

"  It  may  be  picked  up  on  board  a  yacht,"  said  Hilda 
archly,  smiling  up  at  him. 

"  Ah,  you  're  getting  beyond  me  now.  I  don't 
know  what  you  mean,  Hilda,"  and  he  pinched  her 
cheek  again. 

"  And  now,  Mr.  Tremorne,  I  am  sorry  to  send  you 
away  again  without  lunch,  but  business  must  be  at- 
tended to  even  if  we  have  to  subsist  on  sandwiches. 
How  old  a  man  is  this  Cammerford  ?  " 

"About  forty,  I  should  think." 

"  Does  he  strike  you  as  a  capable  individual  ? " 

"  Naturally  he  does.  He  has  proved  himself  to  be 
much  more  capable  than  I  am." 

"  Oh,  that  's  no  recommendation.  Well,  I  want  you 
to  take  this  letter  to  him ;  it  is  my  ultimatum,  and  you 
may  tell  him  so.  He  must  either  accept  or  refuse.  I 
shall  not  dicker  or  modify  my  terms.  If  he  accepts, 

233 


A'    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

then  bring  him  right  over  to  the  yacht  with  you ;  if  he 
refuses,  you  tell  him  I  will  have  him  wiped  out  before 
he  can  set  foot  in  San  Francisco."  He  handed  me  the 
sealed  envelope. 

"  You  see  you  were  in  at  the  beginning  of  this  busi- 
ness, so  I  'd  like  you  to  be  on  hand  at  the  finish.  I  'm 
sorry  to  make  an  errand-boy  of  you,  Tremorne,  but 
we  are  a  little  distant  from  the  excellent  messenger 
service  of  Chicago." 

I  rose  at  once,  placed  the  envelope  in  my  inside 
pocket,  and  said : 

"  I  shall  do  my  best,  Mr.  Hemster,  although,  as  you 
have  remarked,  I  seem  to  be  little  more  than  a  messen- 
ger-boy in  the  negotiations." 

"  Oh,  not  at  all ;  you're  ambassador,  that's  what  you 
are;  a  highly  honourable  position,  and  I  feel  certain 
that  as  you  are  not  particularly  fond  of  Cammerford 
your  manner  will  go  far  toward  showing  him  his  own 
insignificance.  When  he  once  realizes  how  powerless 
he  is,  we  '11  have  no  further  difficulty  with  him." 

I  laughed,  received  a  sweet  smile  from  Hilda  and  a 
kindly  nod  from  Hemster,  then  turned  to  the  gangway 
and  was  in  the  ever-ready  naptha  launch  a  moment 
later. 

Cammerford  was  not  expecting  me,  so  I  had  to 
search  for  him,  and  at  last  ran  him  down  at  the  equiva- 
lent of  the  American  bar  which  Nagasaki  possesses  for 
the  elimination  of  loneliness  from  the  children  of  the 
Spread  Eagle. 

"  Have  a  drink  with  me,  Tremorne,"  cried  Cammer- 
ford, as  genially  as  if  we  were  the  oldest  possible 
friends. 


'A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Thanks,  no ! "  I  replied.  "  I  'd  sooner  meet  the 
muzzle  of  a  revolver  than  imbibe  the  alleged  Ameri- 
can drinks  they  furnish  at  this  place.  You  see,  I  know 
the  town ;  besides,  I  've  come  on  business." 

"  Ah,  is  the  old  man  going  to  see  me,  then  ?  " 

"  That  will  depend  on  your  answer  to  his  letter 
which  I  have  here  in  my  pocket.  May  I  suggest  an 
adjournment  to  your  rooms  in  the  hotel  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  muttered  Cammerford  hast- 
ily, evidently  all  aquiver  with  excitement  and  anxiety. 

When  we  reached  his  apartments  he  thrust  out  his 
hand  eagerly  for  the  letter,  which  I  gave  to  him.  He 
ripped  it  open  on  the  instant,  and,  standing  by  the  win- 
dow, read  it  through  to  the  end,  then,  tossing  it  on  the 
table,  he  threw  back  his  head  and  gave  utterance  to  a 
peal  of  laughter  which  had  an  undercurrent  of  relief 
in  it. 

"  I  was  to  tell  you,"  said  I,  as  soon  as  I  could  make 
myself  heard,  "  that  this  document  is  by  way  of  being 
an  ultimatum,  and  if  you  do  not  see  fit  to  accept  it " 

"  Oh,  that  's  all  right,  my  dear  boy,"  he  cried,  inter- 
rupting me.  "  Accept  it  ?  Of  course  I  do,  but  first  I 
must  tender  an  abject  apology  to  you." 

"  There  is  no  necessity,  Mr.  Cammerford,"  I  pro- 
tested, "  I  hope  that  is  not  a  proviso  in  the  communi- 
cation ?  " 

"  No,  my  dear  boy,  it  is  not.  I  offer  the  apology 
most  sincerely  on  my  own  initiative.  Actually  I  took 
you  for  a  fool,  but  you  are  a  damned  sight  shrewder 
man  than  I  am.  I  told  you  when  you  were  here  that  I 
could  not  get  on  to  your  game,  but  now  I  see  it  straight 

235 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

as  a  string,  and  I  wonder  I  was  such  a  chump  as  not  to 
suspect  it  before.  Tremorne,  you  're  a  genius.  Of 
course  your  proper  way  of  working  was  through  the 
old  man  with  that  cursed  high-bred  air  of  honesty 
which  you  can  assume  better  than  any  one  I  ever  met. 
That  kind  of  thing  was  bound  to  appeal  to  the  old  man 
because  he  's  such  an  unmitigated  rogue  himself.  Yes, 
my  dear  boy,  you  've  played  your  cards  well,  and  I 
congratulate  you."  i 

"  I  have  n't  the  least  idea  what  you  are  driving  at," 
I  said. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  don't  know  what  is  in 
this  letter?" 

"  The  letter  was  delivered  to  me  sealed,  and  I  have 
delivered  it  sealed  to  you.  I  have  no  more  notion  what 
it  contains  than  you  had  before  I  handed  it  to  you." 

"Is  that  really  a  fact?  Well,  Tremorne,  you  're  a 
constant  puzzle  and  delight  to  me.  This  world  would 
be  a  less  interesting  place  if  you  were  out  of  it.  It  is 
an  ever-recurring  problem  to  me  whether  you  're  deep 
or  shallow ;  but  if  you  are  shallow  I  '11  say  this,  that  it 
cuts  more  ice  than  depth  would  do.  Well,  just  cast 
your  eyes  over  the  last  paragraph  in  that  letter."  He 
tossed  across  the  final  sheet  to  me,  and  I  read  as 
follows : 

"  The  condition  under  which  I  shall  treat  with  you  is  this : 
You  will  place  at  once  in  the  Bank  of  Japan,  to  the  order  of 
Rupert  Tremorne,  the  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  you  bor- 
rowed from  him,  together  with  interest  compounded  for  three  I' 
years  at  six  per  cent.  If,  as  is  likely,  you  are  not  in  a  position  to 
hand  over  such  a  sum,  you  may  pay  half  the  amount  into  the 
Bank  of  Japan  here,  and  cable  to  have  the  other  half  similarly 

236 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

placed  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago.  The  moment 
I  receive  cable  advice  from  my  confidential  man  of  business  in 
Chicago  that  the  money  is  in  the  bank  there,  or  the  moment 
you  show  me  the  whole  amount  is  in  the  bank  here,  I  shall 
carry  out  the  promises  I  have  made  in  the  body  of  this  letter. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  SILAS  K.  HEMSTER." 


The  look  of  astonishment  that  doubtless  came  into 
my  face  must  have  appeared  genuine  to  Cammerford  as 
he  watched  me  keenly  across  the  table.  I  handed  the 
letter  back  to  him. 

"  I  assure  you  I  know  nothing  of  this  proviso." 

"  In  that  case,"  said  Cammerford  airily,  "  I  hope 
you  will  have  no  objection  to  paying  me  back  the 
money  when  once  you  have  received  it.  I  trust  that 
your  silk-stockinged  idea  of  strict  honesty  will  impel 
you  toward  the  course  I  have  suggested." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  disappoint  you,  Mr.  Cammer- 
ford, but  circumstances  have  changed  since  I  saw  you 
last,  and,  if  you  don't  mind,  I  '11  keep  the  money." 

Cammerford  laughed  heartily;  he  was  in  riotous 
good  humour,  and  I  suppose  his  compensation  in  this 
trust-forming  business  would  be  so  enormous  that  the 
amount  paid  into  the  bank  seemed  trifling  by  com- 
parison. 

"  I  should  be  glad,"  said  I,  rising,  "  if  you  would 
pen  a  few  words  to  Mr.  Hemster  accepting  or  declining 
his  offer." 

"  Of  course  I  will,  dear  boy,"  he  replied,  taking  the 
latest  pattern  of  fountain  pen  from  his  waistcoat  pocket ; 
*'  you  are  the  most  courteous  of  messengers,  and  I  shall 

237 


'A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

not  keep  you  two  shakes."  Whereupon  he  rapidly 
scrawled  a  note,  blotted  it,  sealed  it,  and  handed  it 
to  me. 

He  arose  and  accompanied  me  to  the  door,  placing 
me  under  some  temporary  inconvenience  by  slapping 
me  boisterously  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Tremorne,  old  man,  you  're  a  brick,  and  a  right- 
down  deep  one  after  all.  I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged 
to  you  for  lending  me  your  money,  although  I  did  not 
think  it  would  be  recalled  so  soon,  and  I  did  not  expect 
the  interest  to  be  so  heavy.  Still,  I  needed  it  at  the 
time,  and  put  it  where  it  has  done  the  most  good.  So 
long,  old  fellow.  You  will  imagine  yourself  a  rich 
man  to-morrow." 

"  I  imagine  myself  a  rich  man  to-day,  Mr.  Cam- 
merford." 


238 


CHAPTER   XX 

ON  reaching  the  yacht  I  went  directly  to  the  old 
gentleman's  office  and  handed  him  Cam- 
merford's  letter,  which  he  tore  open,  read, 
and  tossed  on  the  desk. 

"  Mr.  Hemster,"  said  I,  while  an  emotion  which  I 
had  not  suspected  myself  of  possessing  caused  my 
voice  to  tremble  a  little  ;  "  Mr.  Hemster,  I  don't  know 
how  I  can  thank  you  for  what  you  have  done  for  me 
to-day." 

"Oh,  that  's  all  right,  that  's  all  right!"  he  said 
gruffly,  as  if  the  reference  annoyed  him.  "  What  you 
need  is  a  guardian." 

"  I  think,"  said  I,  "  I  have  secured  one." 

The  old  gentleman  glanced  up  at  me  quickly. 

"  Is  that  so?  Well,  if  the  land  lays  as  I  have  sus- 
pected, I  congratulate  you.  Yes,  and  I  congratulate 
Hilda  also.  As  for  a  guardian,  you  have  chosen  a  good 
one,  and  now  don't  begin  to  thank  me  over  again,  but 
go  and  tell  her  all  about  it." 

Thus  dismissed,  I  went  to  the  saloon,  and  there 
found  the  lady  of  whom  I  was  in  search,  and  per- 
suaded her  to  come  up  on  deck  with  me.  In  spite  of 
the  vexatious  interruption  to  which  we  had  been  forced 
to  submit  at  this  spot,  I  had  become  attached  to  the 
locality  of  the  two  chairs  and  the  wicker  table. 

239 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  like  this  place,"  said  I,  "  for  its  associations,  and 
yet  I  am  certain,  the  moment  we  begin  to  talk,  Mr. 
Hemster  will  order  me  overboard,  or  his  daughter  will 
tell  you  to  go  down  below." 

"  There  is  no  immediate  danger,"  answered  Hilda. 
"  Mr.  Hemster  is  busy,  and  his  daughter  has  not  re- 
turned from  Nagasaki;  I  suspect,  however,  that  you 
should  be  down  in  the  office  helping  your  chief,  rather 
than  up  here  frivolously  gossiping  with  me." 

"  I  am  obeying  orders  in  being  up  here.  My  chief, 
as  you  call  him,  told  me  to  search  you  out  and  tell  you 
all  about  it." 

"All  about  what?" 

"  Did  you  tell  Mr.  Hemster  anything  of  our  conver- 
sation after  I  left?" 

"  Not  a  word.  Poor  dear,  his  mind  was  occupied 
with  other  matters.  He  talked  about  you,  and  fished, 
— in,  oh,  such  an  awkward  way, — to  find  out  what  I 
thought  of  you.  He  gave  me  much  good  counsel 
which  I  shall  ever  treasure,  and  he  warned  me  to  be- 
ware of  fascinating  young  men,  and  not  allow  myself 
to  become  too  deeply  interested.  Indeed  I  yearned  to 
let  him  know  that  his  caution  was  already  too  late ; 
but,  not  being  sure  whether  that  would  ease  his  mind 
or  cause  it  greater  anxiety,  I  held  my  peace.  I  wish 
you  would  tell  him.  Perhaps  I  should  do  it  myself, 
but  I  cannot  find  the  exact  words,  I  am  afraid." 

"  I  '11  tell  him  with  great  pleasure.  No,  to  be  honest, 
I  have  already  told  him." 

"  Really,  and  what  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  said  I  needed  a  guardian,  and  I  informed 
240 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

him  I  had  already  secured  one.  He  twigged  the  situa- 
tion in  a  moment,  congratulated  me  on  my  choice,  and 
ordered  me  to  come  and  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  Tell  me  all  about  what  ?  I  've  asked  you  that  be- 
fore." 

"  Why,  about  the  money  with  which  we  are  to  start 
housekeeping.  Mr.  Hemster  estimates  that  it  will 
amount  to  something  more  than  half  a  million." 

Hilda  sat  back  in  her  chair  with  a  remote  resem- 
blance to  a  frown  on  her  pretty  brow. 

"  That  was  what  you  were  discussing  with  Mr. 
Hemster,  was  it  ?  "  she  said  primly. 

"  Of  course.    Don't  you  think  it  most  important?" 

"  I  suppose  it  is." 

"  He  certainly  thought  so,  and  looked  on  me  as  very 
fortunate  coming  into  such  a  tidy  sum  so  easily." 

"Easily!     Did  he,  indeed?" 

"  Yes,  he  's  awfully  pleased  about  it,  and  so  am  I." 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  it." 

"  He  said  you  would  be,  and  he  regards  me  as  more 
than  lucky,  which,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  acknowledge  that 
I  am.  You  see  it  was  such  a  complete  surprise.  I 
had  n't  expected  anything  at  all,  and  to  find  myself 
suddenly  the  possessor  of  such  a  sum,  all  because  of  a 
few  words,  seemed  almost  too  good  to  be  true." 

Hilda  was  leaning  back  in  her  chair;  there  was  no 
question  about  the  frown  now,  which  was  visible 
enough,  and,  as  I  prattled  on,  the  displeasure  in  her 
speaking  eyes  became  deeper  and  deeper. 

"  All  because  of  a  few  words !  "  she  murmured,  as  if 
talking  to  herself. 

241 


'A    CHICAGO     PRINCESS 

"  Certainly.  Plain,  simple,  straightforward  words, 
yet  look  what  an  effect  they  had.  They  practically 
make  me  an  independent  man,  even  rich,  as  I  should 
count  riches,  although  I  suppose  Mr.  Hemster 
would  n't  consider  the  amount  very  important." 

"  Probably  not,  but  you  seem  to  look  upon  the 
amount  as  very,  very  important, — even  of  paramount 
importance,  I  should  say." 

"  Oh,  not  of  paramount  importance,  of  course,  but 
nevertheless  I  shall  always  regard  this  day  as  the  most 
fortunate  of  my  life." 

"  Really  ?     Because  of  the  money,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Now,  Hilda,"  I  protested,  "  you  must  admit  that 
money  is  exceedingly  necessary." 

"  I  do  admit  it.  So  Mr.  Hemster  was  more  pleased 
about  your  getting  the  money  than  anything  else  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  say  that,  but  he  certainly  was  de- 
lighted with  my  luck,  and  what  true  friend  would  n't 
be?  I  am  sure  my  people  at  home  will  be  overjoyed 
when  they  hear  the  news." 

"Because  of  the  money?"  reiterated  Hilda,  with 
more  of  irritation  in  her  tone  than  I  had  ever  heard 
there  before. 

"  Why  not  ?  Such  a  lump  of  gold  is  not  won  every 
day." 

"  By  a  few  simple  words,"  suggested  Hilda  tartly. 

"  Exactly.  If  you  choose  the  psychological  moment 
and  use  the  right  words  they  form  a  great  combination, 
I  can  tell  you,  and  success  is  sure  to  follow." 

"  Deserving  man !  I  think  those  that  called  you  a 
fool  were  mistaken,  don't  you  ?  " 

242 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Yes,  I  rather  imagine  they  are;  and  in  fact  that  has 
been  admitted." 

"  So  you  and  Mr.  Hemster  have  been  discussing 
this  money  question  down  in  your  office  ?  " 

"  Yes,  at  first,  of  course.  I  began  about  the  money 
at  once,  and  thanked  him  sincerely  for  what  he  had 
done." 

"  You  were  quite  right ;  if  it  had  not  been  for  him 
there  would  have  been  no  money  to  make  you  so  jubi- 
lant." 

"  That  's  exactly  what  I  told  him.  '  Mr.  Hemster,' 
said  I, '  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  action  I  should  never 
have  got  a  penny. ' ' 

"  Well,"  said  Hilda,  with  a  little  break  in  her  voice 
that  went  right  to  my  heart  and  made  me  ashamed  of 
myself,  while  the  moisture  gathered  in  her  eyes,  "  and 
so  you  and  Mr.  Hemster  at  last  got  to  me,  and  began 
to  discuss  me  after  the  money  question  had  been  ex- 
hausted. Really,  I  suppose  I  should  be  thankful  to 
have  received  so  much  attention.  I  wish  I  had  known 
that  gold  occupied  so  large  a  space  in  your  thoughts, 
and  then  I  should  have  entered  more  accurately  into 
particulars.  I  told  you  the  amount  was  two  or  three 
times  the  face  value  of  the  stock,  but  it  is  what  you  say, 
over  half  a  million,  and  now  if  you  don't  mind  I  shall, 
go  downstairs  for  a  while." 

"  I  do  mind.     I  want  to  speak  to  you,  Hilda." 

"  I  would  rather  not  talk  any  more  just  now.  If  you 
are  wise  you  will  say  nothing  until  I  have  had  time  to 
think  it  all  over." 

"  But  I  never  claimed  to  be  wise,  Hilda.     Sit  down 

243 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

again,  I  beg  of  you.  Indeed  you  must,  I  shall  not  let 
you  go  at  this  juncture." 

The  flash  in  her  eyes  chased  away  the  mist  that  had 
veiled  them. 

"  Sir,"  she  cried,  "  you  are  only  making  matters 
worse.  If  you  have  any  care  for  me,  say  no  more 
until  I  see  you  again." 

"  Hilda,"  said  I,  "  I  can  make  it  all  right  with  you 
in  five  minutes.  What  will  you  bet  ?  " 

"  If  you  are  jesting,  I  am  tired  of  it.  Can't  you  see 
I  don't  want  to  talk.  Don't  you  understand  you  have 
said  enough  ?  Do  be  content.  I  wish  I  had  n't  a 
penny  of  money,  and  that  I  had  never  told  you." 

I  now  became  aware  that  I  was  on  the  horns  of  a 
dilemma ;  I  had  gone  too  far,  as  a  stupid  man  will  who 
thinks  he  is  on  the  track  of  a  joke.  The  dear  girl  was 
on  the  verge  of  tears,  and  I  saw  that  if  I  suddenly  pro- 
claimed the  jest  her  sorrow  would  turn  into  anger 
against  me,  and  my  last  state  might  be  worse  than  my 
first.  I  had  got  this  joke  by  the  tail,  and  the  whole 
dilemma  arose  through  not  knowing  whether  it  was 
safer  to  hang  on  or  let  go.  I  quickly  decided  to  hang 
/  on.  I  trusted  to  escape  by  reason  of  our  national  repu- 
tation for  unreadiness,  and  determined  to  stand  to  my 
guns  and  proclaim  that  all  along  I  had  been  speaking 
of  my  own  fortune  and  not  of  hers.  My  obtuseness 
she  would  pity  and  forgive,  but  ill-timed  levity  and 
trifling  with  her  most  cherished  feelings  on  this  day 
of  all  others  might  produce  consequences  I  dared  not 
face. 

"  Hilda,"  I  said,  with  what  dignity  I  could  bring  to 
244 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

my  command,  "  you  actually  seem  sorry  at  my  good 
fortune.  I  assure  you  I  expected  you  would  rejoice 
with  me.  When  I  spoke  to  you  this  morning  I  was  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  a  penniless  man,  and  yet,  as 
Mr.  Hemster  himself  informed  you,  I  had  but  an  hour 
before  refused  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
as  a  bribe.  That  money  was  but  half  of  the  fortune 
•which  this  man  Cammerford  had  previously  looted 
from  me.  Now,  through  a  few  simple  words  in  the 
letter  Mr.  Hemster  wrote  to  him,  this  man  is  going  to 
refund  the  whole  half  million,  with  interest  for  three 
years  at  six  per  cent.  Therefore,  my  darling,  imagine 
the  delight  with  which  I  learned  of  this  great  stroke 
of  good  luck.  No  living  person  could  assert  here  or 
hereafter  that  I  was  an  impecunious  fortune-hunter, 
although  equally,  of  course,  no  person  could  have  con- 
vinced you  that  your  money  weighed  a  particle  with 
me  when  I  asked  you  to  honour  me  as  you  have  done. 
And  now,  really  perhaps  I  am  too  sensitive,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  do  not  take  the  news  so  kindly  as  I  had 
expected." 

She  swayed  a  moment,  then  sank  helplessly  down 
into  the  armchair  again. 

"  Rupert,"  she  said,  looking  across  at  me  with  a 
puzzled  pathos  in  her  eyes  that  made  me  ashamed  of 
myself;  "Rupert,  what  are  you  talking  about?  Or 
am  I  dreaming?  What  half  million  is  this  you  are 
referring  to?  I  told  you  that  my  fortune  was  two  or 
three  times  the  hundred  thousand,  but  I  supposed  you 
had  found  out  its  real  value.  Now  you  seem  to  have 
been  speaking  of  something  else." 

245 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Hilda,"  I  cried,  with  a  horror  that  I  hope  was  well 
simulated, — Lord  forgive  me  for  the  necessity  of 
•using  it, — "  Hilda,  you  never  supposed  for  a  moment 
that  I  was  referring  to  your  money  ?  " 

Her  troubled  face  seemed  fixed  on  something  in- 
tangible in  the  distance,  as  if  her  mind  were  trying 
to  recall  our  conversation,  that  she  might  find  some 
point  in  what  I  had  said  to  account  for  the  mistake  she 
supposed  herself  to  have  made.  The  double  meaning 
of  my  words  was  apparent  enough,  but  of  course  every 
sentence  I  had  uttered  applied  to  her  money  equally 
well  with  my  own.  Now  that  enlightenment  had  come, 
her  supposed  error  became  obtrusively  plain  to  her. 
She  turned  her  puzzled  face  to  me,  and  her  expression 
melted  into  one  of  great  tenderness  as  she  reached  for- 
ward her  two  hands  and  laid  her  palms  on  the  back  of 
mine,  which  rested  on  the  wicker  table. 

"  Rupert,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  will  you  for- 
give me?  I  have  deeply  misjudged  you." 

"  Hilda,"  said  I,  "  would  you  have  forgiven  me  if  I 
had  been  in  the  wrong  ?  " 

"  I  would,  I  would,  I  would,"  she  cried,  and  it  was 
plain  that  she  meant  it,  yet  I  did  not  dare  to  risk  a  full 
confession.  What  brutes  we  men  are  after  all,  and 
how  much  we  stand  in  need  of  forgiveness  every  day 
of  our  lives ! 

"  Tell  me  all  about  this  newly  found  treasure,"  she 
said,  and  now  I  launched  out  on  fresh  ground  once 
more,  resolving  never  to  get  on  such  thin  ice  again 
after  so  narrow  an  escape.  As  we  talked,  the  inde- 
fatigable little  naphtha  launch  came  alongside,  and 

246 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Gertrude  Hemster  appeared  at  the  gangway,  followed 
by  her  miniature  Countess.  Miss  Hemster  was  good 
enough  to  ignore  us  entirely,  and,  after  a  few  words  to 
her  new  companion,  disappeared  down  the  companion- 
way.  The  Countess  toddled  up  to  where  we  sat,  and, 
addressing  Hilda,  said  in  her  high-keyed  Japanese 
voice : 

"  Mees  Stretton,  the  mistress  desires  your  attendance 
immediately,"  and  with  that  she  toddled  away  again. 
Hilda  rose  at  once. 

"  Don't  go,"  I  commanded ;  but  she  smiled,  and  held 
out  her  hand  to  me. 

"  Is  n't  it  funny,"  she  said ;  "  you  and  I  together 
are  equal  to  one  millionaire,  yet  we  have  to  dance  at- 
tendance when  called  upon,  but,  unlike  others  in  bond- 
age, we  don't  need  to  cry,  '  How  long,  O  Lord !  how 
long?  '  do  we?  " 

"  Not  on  your  life,  Hilda,  as  they  say  in  the  Wild 
West.  The  day  of  jubilee  is  a-coming  my  dear,"  and, 
in  spite  of  her  trying  to  slip  away,  I  put  my  arm  around 
her  and  drew  her  toward  me. 

"  Oh,  the  captain  is  looking  at  us,"  she  whispered 
in  alarm. 

"  The  captain  is  a  good  friend  of  ours,  and  has  done 

the  same  in  his  time,  I  dare  say,"  and  with  that  I . 

Hilda  swung  herself  free  and  fled,  red  as  a  rose.  On 
glancing  up  at  the  bridge  I  noticed  that  the  captain 
had  suddenly  turned  his  back  on  us.  I  always  did  like 
that  rough  man  from  Cape  Cod,  who  would  haunt  the 
bridge  during  his  waking  hours  whether  the  ship  had 
steam  up  or  not. 

247 


CHAPTER   XXI 

NEXT  day  was  the  most  eventful  I  had  spent 
on  the  yacht  in  spite  of  all  that  had  gone 
before,  for  a  few  moments  were  filled  with 
a  peril  which  we  escaped,  as  one  might  say,  by  a 
miracle,  or  more  accurately  by  the  prompt  and  ener- 
getic action  of  a  capable  man  whom  I  shall  always  re- 
gard with  deep  affection.    If  Cape  Cod  has  turned  out 
many  like  him,   it  is   a  notable   section  of  a  great 
country. 

Somewhat  early  in  the  morning  I  paid  my  third  visit 
to  the  Nagasaki  Hotel  and  brought  John  C.  Cammer- 
ford  with  me  to  the  yacht.  He  told  me  he  had  placed 
the  full  amount  to  my  credit  in  the  Bank  of  Japan,  and 
said  he  did  not  need  to  do  any  cabling  to  America.  Mr. 
Hemster  was  closeted  with  him  in  his  office  until  the 
luncheon  gong  rang,  and  the  amiable  Cammerford  was 
a  guest  at  our  table,  referring  to  me  several  times  as  his 
old  friend,  and  recounting  stories  that  were  more  hu- 
mourous than  accurate  about  my  adventures  with  him 
in  the  Adirondack  Mountains  and  the  fishing  districts 
of  Canada.  I  gathered  that  all  the  stories  he  had  ever 
heard  of  Englishmen  he  now  fastened  on  me,  relating 
them  with  great  gusto  as  having  come  within  his  own 
cognizance.  Therefore  I  was  delighted  to  be  able  to 
inform  him  that  one  of  his  anecdotes  had  appeared  in 

248 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Punch  in  the  year  1854,  which  he  promptly  denied, 
whereupon  I  proposed  a  modest  little  wager  that  was 
accepted  by  him  under  the  supposition  that  I  could  not 
prove  my  assertion.  But  we  happened  to  have  in  the 
library  two  volumes  of  Punch  for  that  year,  which  I 
had  frequently  thumbed  over,  and  I  now  confounded 
him  by  their  production.  I  don't  think  he  minded  the 
money  so  much  as  the  slight  cast  on  what  he  supposed 
to  be  a  genuine  American  joke.  About  three  o'clock 
the  good  man  left  us  in  a  high  state  of  exultation,  car- 
ried away  by  the  useful  naphtha  launch. 

We  were  all  on  deck  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon when  the  event  happened  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred. Hilda  and  I  were  sitting  in  our  chairs  by  the 
wicker  table,  quite  boldly  in  the  face  of  all,  for  our 
engagement  was  now  public  property.  Gertrude  Hem- 
ster  and  the  little  Japanese  noblewoman  were  walking 
up  and  down  the  other  side  of  the  deck,  and  from  the 
snatches  of  conversation  wafted  to  us  it  really  seemed 
as  if  Miss  Hemster  were  learning  Japanese.  She  had 
passed  the  ignoring  phase  so  far  as  I  was  concerned, 
and  had  reached  the  stage  of  the  icily  polite  and 
scrupulously  courteous  high  dame,  so  that  I  quite  looked 
forward  to  an  intimate  interview  with  her  later  on  if 
this  change  continued.  The  old  gentleman  occupied 
his  customary  armchair  with  his  feet  on  the  rail,  and 
it  is  a  marvellous  thing  to  record  that  during  all  the 
excitement  he  never  shifted  his  position.  He  said 
afterward  that  it  was  the  captain's  duty  to  deal  with 
the  crisis,  and  he  had  absolute  confidence  in  the  cap- 
This  confidence  was  not  misplaced. 

249 


'A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

The  harbor  of  Nagasaki  is  usually  crowded  with 
shipping,  and  steamers  are  continually  arriving  or  de- 
parting, consequently  they  attract  but  little  attention, 
for  they  are  generally  capably  managed.  Of  course 
a  yacht  swinging  at  anchor  with  no  steam  up  is  abso- 
lutely helpless  if  some  vessel  under  way  bears  down 
upon  her.  We  were  lying  broadside  on  to  Nagasaki. 
I  was  so  absorbed  in  my  conversation  with  Hilda  that 
I  did  not  notice  our  danger  until  the  captain  put 
a  megaphone  to  his  lips  and  vehemently  hailed  an  on- 
coming steamer.  Looking  up,  I  saw  a  huge,  black, 
clumsy  craft  steaming  right  down  upon  us,  and  knew 
in  a  moment  that  if  she  did  not  deflect  her  course  she 
would  cut  us  in  two  amidships.  The  captain,  who 
recognized  the  nationality  of  the  vessel,  although  I  did 
not,  roared  down  to  me : 

"  What  is  the  Chinese  for  '  Sheer  off  ? '" 
I  sprang  to  my  feet.  "  Fling  me  the  megaphone," 
I  cried.  He  instantly  heaved  it  down  to  me,  and  a 
moment  later  I  was  roaring  through  it  a  warning  to 
the  approaching  steamer.  But  to  this  not  the  slightest 
attention  was  paid,  nor  indeed  could  I  see  anyone 
aboard.  The  black  brute  came  on  as  if  she  were  an 
abandoned  ship  without  captain  or  crew.  She  appeared 
to  grow  up  out  of  the  waters ;  looming  tremendous  in 
size  above  us,  and  it  did  seem  as  if  nothing  under  Heav- 
en could  save  us.  However,  good  luck  and  the  re- 
sources of  our  captain  did  that  very  thing.  The  good 
luck  assumed  the  shape  of  a  tug  which  came  tearing 
past  our  stern.  The  captain  by  this  time  was  on  deck 
with  a  coil  of  rope  with  a  bowline  on  its  end.  Not  a 

250 


I  sprang  forward  and  caught  her." 


Page  25 1 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

word  did  he  say  to  the  flying  tug,  but  he  swung  the  rope 
so  unerringly  that  the  loop  came  down  like  a  flying 
quoit  right  on  the  sternpost  of  the  little  vessel.  In  a 
flash  the  captain  had  the  end  he  held  twisted  twice 
around  a  huge  iron  cleat  at  our  side. 

"  Lie  down,  you  women,  at  once,"  he  roared,  bracing 
his  feet  against  the  cleat  and  hanging  back  upon  the 
end  of  the  rope. 

Hilda  obeyed  instantly,  but  Miss  Hemster,  with  the 
Countess  clinging  to  her,  stood  dazed,  while  I  sprang 
forward  and  caught  her,  breaking  the  fall  as  much  as 
was  possible,  all  three  of  us  coming  down  in  a  heap 
with  myself  underneath.  The  rope  had  tightened  like 
a  rod,  and  had  either  to  break,  jerk  the  tug  backward 
out  of  the  water,  or  swing  us  around,  which  latter  it 
did,  taking  the  yacht  from  under  us  with  a  suddenness 
that  instantly  overcame  all  equilibrium,  and  in  a  jiffy 
we  were  at  right  angles  to  our  former  position,  while 
the  black  hulk  scraped  harmlessly  along  our  side. 
Even  now  no  one  appeared  on  the  deck  of  the  Chinese 
steamer,  but  after  running  a  hundred  yards  nearer  the 
city  she  slowly  swerved  around,  heading  outward 
again,  and  I  thought  she  was  about  to  escape ;  but  in- 
stead of  that  she  came  to  a  standstill  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  or  so  from  our  position  and  there  coolly  dropped 
anchor. 

I  helped  the  ladies  to  their  feet  again,  inquiring  if 
they  were  hurt,  and  Miss  Hemster  replied  with  a  sweet 
smile  that,  thanks  to  me,  she  was  not.  The  Countess 
showed  signs  of  hysterics  with  which  I  could  not  deal, 
therefore  I  turned  my  attention  to  Hilda,  who  by  this 

251 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

time  had  scrambled  up,  looking  rather  pale  and  fright- 
ened. Mr.  Hemsters  chair  had  been  swung  with  a 
crash  against  the  bulwarks,  and  he  had  been  compelled 
to  take  his  feet  down  from  the  rail,  but  beyond  that  he 
kept  his  old  position,  chewing  industriously  at  his  unlit 
cigar.  The  captain  was  in  a  ludicrously  pitiable  posi- 
tion because  of  a  red-hot  Cape  Cod  rage  and  his  in- 
ability to  relieve  his  feelings  by  swearing  on  account 
of  the  ladies  being  present.  Hilda  noticed  this  and 
cried  with  a  little  quivering  laugh : 

"  Don't  mind  us.  captain ;  say  what  you  want  to, 
and  it  is  quite  likely  we  will  agree  with  you." 

The  captain  shook  his  huge  fist  at  the  big  steamer 
now  rounding  to  her  anchorage. 

"  You  can  say  what  you  please,"  he  shouted ;  "  that 
was  no  accident;  it  was  intended.  That  damned, — 
I  beg  your  pardon,  ladies, — that  chap  tried  to  run  us 
down,  and  I  '11  have  the  law  of  him,  dod-blast-him, — 
excuse  me,  ladies, — if  there  's  any  law  in  this  God- 
forsaken hole ! " 

Mr.  Hemster  very  calmly  shoved  his  chair  back  to 
its  former  position,  and  put  his  feet  once  more  on  the 
rail,  then  he  beckoned  to  the  captain,  and  when  that 
angry  hero  reached  his  side  he  said  imperturbably,  as 
if  nothing  had  happened: 

"  Captain,  there  's  no  use  swearing.  Besides,  so 
capable  a  man  as  you  never  needs  to  swear.  In  that 
half  minute  you  earned  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  I  '11 
make  it  more  if  you  don't  think  it  enough." 

"  Nonsense,"  protested  the  captain,  "  it 's  all  in  the 
day's  work :  a  lucky  throw  of  the  rope,  that  's  all." 

252 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Now  I  see  that  you  want  to  swear  at  somebody," 
Mr.  Hemster  went  on,  "  and  suppressed  profanity  is 
bad  for  the  system ;  so  I  suppose  you  '11  prefer  to  swear 
at  the  person  mostly  to  blame.  Get  into  the  launch 
with  Mr.  Tremorne  here,  who  will  translate  for  you, 
because  our  oaths,  unlike  our  gold,  are  not  current  in 
every  country.  Go  over  to  that  black  monstrosity ;  get 
aboard  of  her ;  find  out  what  their  game  is,  and  swear 
at  whoever  is  responsible.  When  we  know  their  ob- 
ject we  can  take  action,  either  by  law,  or  by  hiring 
some  pirate  to  run  her  down  and  see  how  she  likes  it 
herself.  I  want  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  this  business." 

The  upshot  was  that  the  captain  and  I  got  into  the 
naphtha  launch  and  made  directly  for  the  Chinese 
steamer.  We  went  around  her  twice,  but  saw  not  a 
soul  on  board,  neither  was  there  any  ladder  alongside 
by  which  we  could  ascend,  or  even  a  rope ;  so,  after 
calling  in  vain  for  them  to  throw  us  a  line,  the  captain, 
with  an  agility  I  should  not  have  expected  of  his  years 
and  bulk,  caught  hold  of  the  anchor-chain  and  worked 
himself  up  over  the  bow.  His  head  appearing  over 
the  rail  must  have  been  a  stupefying  surprise  to  the 
crew,  whom  he  found  lying  flat  on  their  faces  on  deck. 
I  followed  the  captain  up  the  anchor-chain  route, 
though  in  somewhat  less  effective  fashion,  until  I  was 
at  the  captain's  heels.  He  had  thrown  one  leg  across 
the  rail,  when  he  whipped  out  a  revolver  and  fired  two 
rapid  shots,  which  were  followed  by  howls  of  terror. 
The  crew  had  sprung  to  their  feet  and  flashed  out 
knives,  but  his  quick  revolver-shots  stopped  the  at- 
tack even  before  it  was  rightly  begun.  We  both  leaped 

253 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

over  the  rail  to  the  deck.  The  cowardly  crew  were 
huddled  in  a  heap;  no  one  had  been  killed,  but  two 
were  crippled  and  crawled  moaning  on  the  deck;  the 
rest  had  ceased  their  outcry  and  crouched  together  with 
that  hopeless  air  of  resignation  to  take  stolidly  what- 
ever fate  had  in  store  for  them,  which  is  characteristic 
of  the  lower-class  Chinese.  They  expected  instant 
death  and  were  prepared  to  meet  it  with  nonchalance. 

"  Where  is  your  captain  ?  "  I  asked  them  in  their 
own  tongue. 

Several  of  them  made  a  motion  of  their  head  toward 
a  low  deck-house  aft. 

"  Go  and  bring  him,"  I  said  to  one  who  seemed 
rather  more  intelligent  than  the  rest.  He  got  on  his 
feet  and  went  into  the  deck-house,  presently  emerging 
with  a  trembling  man  who  admitted  he  was  the  captain. 

"  What  did  you  mean,"  I  asked  him,  "  by  trying  to 
run  us  down  ?  " 

He  spread  out  his  hands  with  a  gesture  that  seemed 
to  indicate  his  helplessness,  and  maintained  that  it  was 
all  an  accident. 

"  That  is  not  true,"  I  insisted,  but  nothing  could 
budge  him  from  his  statement  that  the  steering-gear 
had  gone  wrong  and  he  had  lost  control  of  the  ship. 

"  Why  did  n't  you  stop  the  engines  when  you  saw 
where  you  were  going  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  had  become  panic-stricken,  he  said,  and  so  had 
the  crew.  The  engineer  had  run  up  on  deck,  and  there 
was  no  one  to  shut  off  steam.  I  knew  the  man  was  ly- 
ing, and  told  our  captain  so,  whereupon  he  pressed  the 
muzzle  of  his  revolver  against  the  other's  forehead. 

254 


"  Now  question  him,"  he  said. 

I  did  so,  but  the  captain  simply  relapsed  into  the  con- 
dition of  his  crew,  and  not  another  word  could  I  get 
out  of  him. 

"  It  's  no  use/'  I  said  to  our  captain,  "  these  people 
don't  mind  being  shot  in  the  least.  You  might  mas- 
sacre the  whole  lot,  and  yet  not  get  a  word  of  truth  out 
of  any  one  of  them  previous  to  their  extinction.  Never- 
theless, until  you  kill  them  they  are  in  some  wholesome 
fear  of  firearms,  so  if  you  keep  the  drop  on  the  captain 
and  his  men  I  '11  penetrate  this  deck-house  and  see 
what  it  contains." 

"  I  would  'nt  do  that,"  said  our  captain,  "  they  're 
treacherous  dogs,  I  imagine,  and,  while  afraid  to  meet 
us  in  broad  daylight  on  deck  here,  they  might  prove 
mighty  handy  with  the  knife  in  the  darkness  of  that 
shanty.  No,  send  the  captain  in  and  order  him  to 
bring  out  all  his  officers,  if  he  's  got  any." 

This  seemed  practical  advice,  so,  asking  our  captain 
to  remove  his  revolver  from  the  other's  forehead,  I 
said  to  the  latter : 

"  How  many  officers  have  you  ?  " 

He  answered  that  there  were  five. 

"  Very  well,  go  and  bring  them  all  out  on  deck 
here." 

He  gave  the  order  to  one  of  the  crew,  who  went  into 
the  deck-house  and  presently  came  out  with  five  dis- 
couraged-looking Chinese  ship's  officers.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  made  out  of  this  lot ;  they  simply  stood 
in  a  row  and  glowered  at  us  without  answering. 
Whenever  I  put  a  question  to  them  they  glanced  at  the 

255 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

captain,  then  turned  their  bovine  gaze  upon  me,  but 
never  ondfc'did  one  of  them  open  his  mouth. 

"  Now,  captain,"  said  I,  "  I  propose  that  we  herd  this 
whole  mob,  officers  and  men,  into  the  forecastle.  The 
windlass,  anchor-tackle,  and  all  that  will  impede  them, 
if  they  endeavour  to  take  concerted  action.  You  stand 
here  on  the  clear  deck  with  your  two  revolvers  and 
keep  an  eye  on  them.  The  captain  and  officers  will 
probably  imagine  you  understand  Chinese,  too,  so  they 
will  give  no  orders.  Then  I  shall  penetrate  into  the 
deck-house,  for  I  am  convinced  that  we  have  not  yet 
come  upon  the  responsible  man.  I  don't  believe  this 
fellow  is  the  captain  at  all." 

To  all  this  my  comrade  agreed,  although  he  still  de- 
murred at  my  entering  the  deck-house.  I  ordered  the 
men  forward  and  then  lined  the  alleged  captain  and 
his  officers  along  the  rail  near  them,  and,  while  my  cap- 
tain stood  by  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  I,  similarly 
equipped,  went  down  three  steps  into  the  low  cabin. 
It  was  a  dangerous  move  if  there  had  been  anyone  of 
courage  within,  for  there  were  no  windows,  and  what 
little  light  penetrated  the  place  came  in  through  the 
open  door,  and  that  was  now  largely  shut  out  by  the 
bulk  of  my  body.  Knowing  that  I  was  rather  con- 
spicuously silhouetted  against  the  outside  glare  and 
formed  an  easy  mark  for  either  pistol  or  knife,  I  stepped 
down  as  quickly  as  possible  and  then  stood  aside.  I 
thought  at  first  the  place  was  empty,  but  as  my  eyes 
became  accustomed  to  the  gloom  I  saw  that  a  bench 
ran  around  three  walls  and  in  the  further  corner  was  a 
huddled  figure  which  I  knew. 

256 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Ah,  Excellency  Hun  Woe !  "  I  cried,  covering  him 
with  the  revolver,  "  it  is  to  you  then  we  were  to  have 
been  indebted  for  our  death." 

The  wretch  flung  himself  on  his  face  at  my  feet, 
moaning  for  mercy.  A  Corean  never  has  the  non- 
chalance of  a  Chinaman  when  danger  confronts  him. 

"  Get  up  from  the  floor  and  sit  down  where  you 
were,"  I  said ;  "  I  want  to  have  some  conversation 
with  you."  Then  I  went  to  the  door  again  and  cried 
to  the  captain : 

"  It 's  all  right.  There  is  no  one  here  but  the  Prime 
Minister  of  Corea,  and  I  think  I  begin  to  see  daylight 
so  far  as  this  so-called  accident  is  concerned.  I  want 
to  have  a  few  minutes'  talk  with  him,  so,  unless  you 
hear  a  pistol-shot,  everything  is  going  well." 

"  Good  enough,"  cried  the  genial  captain,  "  you  play 
a  lone  hand  for  all  it  's  worth,  and  I  '11  hold  up  these 
hoodlums  while  you  pow-wow." 

"  Now,  Hun  Woe,"  I  cried,  turning  to  him,  "  what 
is  the  meaning  of  this  dastardly  trick  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Excellency,"  he  moaned,  "  I  am  the  most  mis- 
erable of  men." 

"  Yes,  you  are.  I  admit  that,  and,  furthermore,  un- 
less you  tell  the  truth  you  are  in  some  danger  of  your 
life  at  this  moment." 

"  My  life,"  he  went  on, — and  I  knew  he  spoke  truly 
enough, — "  is  already  forfeited.  My  family  and  my 
kinsmen  are  all  in  the  hands  of  the  Emperor.  Their 
heads  will  fall  if  I  do  not  bring  back  the  white  woman 
whom  the  Emperor  has  chosen  for  his  mate." 

"  But  how  in  Heaven's  name  would  it  have  brought 

257 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

back  the  white  woman  if  you  had  run  us  down  and 
drowned  us  all  ?  " 

"  We  have  expert  swimmers  aboard,"  he  said,  "  div- 
ers brought  for  the  purpose,  who  would  have  saved  the 
white  woman,  and  indeed,"  he  added  hurriedly,  "  would 
have  saved  you  all,  but  the  white  woman  we  would 
have  brought  back  with  us." 

"  What  a  hairbrained  scheme !  "  I  cried. 

"  Yes,  Excellency,  it  is  not  mine.  I  but  do  what  I 
am  ordered  to  do.  The  Emperor  wished  to  sink  the 
war-vessel  of  the  American  King  so  that  he  might  not 
invade  our  coasts." 

"  Is  it  true  that  the  Empress  has  been  murdered  ?  " 

"  Ah,  not  murdered,  Excellency ;  she  died  of  a 
fever." 

"  She  looked  anything  but  feverish  when  I  saw  her 
the  day  before,"  I  insisted. 

"  We  are  all  in  God's  hands,"  said  the  Prime  Minis- 
ter with  a  shrug  of  resignation,  "  and  death  sometimes 
comes  suddenly." 

"  It  does  indeed  in  Seoul,"  I  commented,  whereupon 
the  Prime  Minister  groaned  aloud,  thinking  probably 
of  his  own  impending  fate  and  that  of  his  wife,  chil- 
dren, and  kinsfolk. 

"  Excellency,"  he  went  on  with  the  courage  of  des- 
peration, "  it  is  all  your  fault.  If  you  had  not  brought 
that  creature  to  Seoul,  I  would  have  been  a  happy  man 
to-day.  I  have  always  been  your  friend,  and  it  is  said 
your  country  stands  by  its  friends ;  but  that,  I  fear,  is 
not  true.  You  can  help  me  now,  but  perhaps  you  will 
not  do  it." 

258 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  I  admit  it  is  largely  my  fault,  although,  like  your- 
self, I  was  merely  the  Prime  Minister  on  our  side  of 
the  affair.  Nevertheless,  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do 
to  help  you,  Hun  Woe,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do 
it." 

He  brightened  up  perceptibly  at  this,  and  said 
eagerly,  as  if  to  give  further  spur  to  my  inclination : 

"If  you  do,  I  will  make  you  a  rich  man,  Excel- 
lency." 

Nothing  showed  the  desperate  nature  of  his  case 
more  conclusively  than  this  offer  of  money,  which  is 
always  a  Corean's  very  last  card. 

"  I  do  not  want  a  single  sek  from  you,  Hun  Woe ; 
in  fact  I  am  willing  to  give  away  many  thousands  of 
them  if  it  will  aid  you.  Tell  me  what  I  can  do  for  you. 
I  will  even  go  so  far  as  to  return  with  you  to  Seoul  and 
beg  or  bribe  the  Emperor's  clemency." 

"  That  would  indeed  be  useless,"  demurred  the 
Prime  Minister ;  "  His  Majesty  would  promise  you  any- 
thing and  take  what  money  you  liked  to  give  him ;  but 
my  body  would  be  dismembered  as  soon  as  you  were 
gone,  and  all  my  kinsfolk  killed  or  sent  to  slavery." 

I  knew  this  to  be  an  accurate  presentation  of  the 
case. 

"  What,  then,  can  I  do  for  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

He  lowered  his  voice,  his  little  eyes  glittering. 

"  There  is  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  is  to  get  the 
white  woman  on  board  this  ship." 

"  To  kidnap  her  ?  That  is  impossible ;  you  cannot 
do  it  here  in  Japan,  and  you  could  not  do  it  even  if 
the  ship  were  lying  in  Chemulpo  roadstead.  It  is  a 

259 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

dream  of  foolishness,  and  if  your  Emperor  had  any 
sense  he  would  know  it  could  not  be  done." 

"  Then,"  wailed  Hun  Woe,  "  my  line  is  extinguished, 
and  the  deaths  of  myself  and  of  my  relatives  lie  at  your 
door,  who  brought  the  accursed  white  woman  to 
Seoul." 

His  lamentations  disturbed  me  deeply,  because,  for  a 
wonder,  he  spoke  the  truth. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  will  do,  Hun  Woe,  which  will 
be  far  more  effective  than  your  ridiculous  project  of 
kidnapping  the  young  lady.  Has  not  your  Emperor 
the  sense  to  see,  or  have  you  not  the  courage  to  tell  him, 
that  if  you  succeeded  in  getting  Miss  Hemster  to  Seoul 
you  would  bring  down  on  yourselves  the  whole  force 
of  America,  and  probably  of  England  as  well  ?  Either 
country  could  blot  Seoul,  Palace  and  all,  off  the  face 
of  the  earth  within  half  an  hour  of  surrounding  it,  and 
they  would  do  it,  too,  if  needs  be.  You  know  I  speak 
the  truth ;  why  did  you  not  explain  this  to  the  Em- 
peror ?  " 

"  His  Majesty  would  not  believe  me ;  his  Majesty 
cares  for  nothing  but  the  white  woman ;  so  any  other 
plan  but  that  of  getting  her  is  useless." 

"  No,  it  is  n't.  So  far  as  you  are  concerned,  Hun 
Woe,  it  would  be  useless  for  me  to  appeal  to  either  the 
English  or  the  American  authorities.  They  will  never 
interfere  unless  one  of  their  own  citizens  is  in  jeopardy, 
but  I  can  trust  the  Japanese.  I  am  sure  Mr.  Hemster 
will  lend  me  his  yacht,  and  I  will  take  a  party  of  fear- 
less Japanese  with  me  to  the  capital  and  to  the  Palace. 
There  will  be  no  trouble.  I  shall  return  with  your 

260 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

family  and  your  kinsmen,  escort  them  down  to  Che- 
mulpo, and  I  shall  deliver  them  to  you  here  in  Naga- 
saki. So  long  as  you  remain  in  Nagasaki  you  are 
safe." 

This  brave  offer  brought  no  consolation  to  the  Prime 
Minister  of  Corea:  he  shook  his  head  dolefully,  and 
told  me  what  I  already  knew,  that  a  man  who  fled  from 
Corea  to  Nagasaki  had  been  nearly  murdered  here  by 
Coreans,  then,  thinking  himself  more  safe  under  the 
British  flag,  he  had  escaped  to  Shanghai,  where  he  was 
followed  and  killed  in  cold  blood,  his  mutilated  remains 
being  taken  to  Seoul,  and  there  exhibited.  All  his 
relatives  and  his  family  had  already  preceded  him  into 
the  unknown. 

"  Nothing  will  suffice,"  groaned  the  Prime  Minister, 
"  but  the  white  woman, —  may  curses  alight  on  her 
head ! " 

"  Do  not  be  so  downhearted ;  my  scheme  is  quite 
practicable,  while  yours  is  not.  Mr.  Hemster  is  the 
most  generous  of  men,  and  I  am  certain  he  will  see  you 
and  your  family  safe  across  the  Pacific  to  the  United 
States,  and  there  I  will  guarantee  no  Corean  will  ever 
follow  you.  You  have  money  enough  if  you  can  get 
your  hands  on  it.  Perhaps  you  have  some  here  with 
you  now." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  simply,  "  I  have  my  whole  fortune 
on  board  this  ship." 

'''  There  you  are.  I  see  you  did  not  intend  to  return 
to  Corea  if  you  could  not  get  the  white  woman." 

"  It  was  not  that.  I  brought  my  fortune  to  give  it 
away  in  bribes." 

261 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  And  that  's  why  you  offered  me  a  bribe  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Excellency,"  he  replied  with  childlike  can- 
dour. 

"  Well,  Hun  Woe,  take  my  advice.  I  think  I  shall 
be  able  to  get  you  all  clear  away.  You  are  in  com- 
mand here,  and  these  Chinese  would  rather  die  than 
split  on  you,  so  perhaps,  instead  of  taking  Mr.  Hem- 
ster's  yacht,  we  had  better  stick  to  this  vessel,  and  I 
will  bring  my  band  of  Japanese  aboard.  However, 
keep  up  your  courage  until  I  have  seen  Mr.  Hemster, 
and  then  I  will  let  you  know  what  I  am  prepared  to 
do.  As  this  ship  is  now  empty  you  had  better  spend 
your  time  and  money  in  Nagasaki  rilling  her  with  coal. 
We  will  go  to  Corea,  get  your  family  and  relatives 
aboard,  and  then  you  can  sail  direct  for  San  Francisco. 
It  is  a  wild  project,  but  with  a  little  courage  I  make 
no  doubt  it  can  be  carried  out,  and  if  you  have  n't 
money  enough  I  can  help  you.  Indeed,  now  that  I 
have  considered  the  matter,  I  shall  not  ask  Mr.  Hem- 
ster for  his  yacht  at  all.  This  ship  is  the  very  thing. 
All  you  need  is  plenty  of  coal  and  plenty  of  provisions, 
and  these  you  can  get  at  Nagasaki  without  attracting 
the  least  attention.  Mr.  Hemster  could  not  accommo- 
date you  all  on  his  yacht  even  if  he  consented  to  do  so. 
Yes,  cheer  up,  my  plan  is  quite  feasible,  while  yours  is 
impossible  of  execution.  You  can  no  more  get  the 
girl  than  you  can  get  the  moon  for  the  Emperor  of 
Corea." 

So,  telling  the  Prime  Minister  that  I  would  call  upon 
him  next  day  and  discuss  particulars,  I  left  him  there, 
asked  the  captain  to  release  the  patient  crew  and  their 

262 


A    CHICAGO     PRINCESS 

officers,  threw  a  rope  ladder  down  the  side,  and  so 
descended  to  our  waiting  naphtha  launch,  the  crew 
of  which  had  been  rather  anxious  at  the  long  silence 
following  the  two  rapid  shots;  but  they  had  obeyed 
orders  and  stood  by  without  attempting  to  board. 


263 


CHAPTER   XXII 

SILAS  HEMSTER   was   sitting  in  his  wickei 
chair  on  deck  just  as  I  had  left  him,  so  I  drew 
up  another  chair  beside  him  and  sat  down  to 
give  him  my  report.     He  listened  to  the  end  without 
comment. 

"What  a  darned-fool  scheme,"  he  said  at  last.  "There 
was  n't  one  chance  in  a  thousand  of  those  chumps  pick- 
ing any  of  us  out  alive  if  they  had  once  destroyed  the 
yacht.  Do  you  think  they  will  attempt  it  again  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  seems  as  if  I  had  discouraged  old  Hun 
Woe,  but  a  person  never  can  tell  how  the  Oriental 
mind  works.  He  stated  that  the  precious  plan  eman- 
ated from  the  Emperor,  who  wished  at  a  blow  to  de- 
stroy your  fleet,  as  it  were,  and  capture  your  daughter ; 
but  it  is  more  than  likely  the  scheme  was  concocted  in 
his  own  brain.  He  is  just  silly  enough  to  have  con- 
trived it,  but  I  rather  imagine  our  good  captain  over- 
awed the  officers  and  crew  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
may  be  chary  of  attempting  such  an  outrage  again. 
When  two  of  us  had  no  difficulty  in  holding  up  the 
whole  company,  they  may  fear  an  attack  from  our  en- 
tire crew.  Still,  as  I  have  said,  no  one  can  tell  what 
these  people  will  do  or  not  do.  The  Prime  Minister 
himself,  of  course,  is  in  a  bad  way,  and  I  should  like 
to  enable  him  to  escape  if  I  could." 

264 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  You  intend,  then,  to  carry  out  the  project  you  out- 
lined to  him  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  do,  with  your  permission." 

"  Well,  not  to  flatter  you,  Tremorne,  I  think  your 
invasion  of  Corea  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  Japanese  is 
quite  as  foolhardy  as  his  attempt  to  run  down  the 
yacht." 

"  Oh,  no,  Mr.  Hemster ;  the  Coreans  are  a  bad  peo- 
ple to  run  away  from,  but  if  you  face  them  boldly  you 
get  what  you  want.  They  call  it  the  Hermit  King- 
dom, but  I  should  call  it  the  Coward  Kingdom.  A 
squad  of  determined  little  Japs  would  put  the  whole 
country  to  flight." 

"  Well,  you  can  do  as  you  like,  and  I  '11  help  you  all 
I  'm  able.  Of  course  you  're  not  responsible  for  the 
plight  of  the  Prime  Minister;  I  'm  the  cause  of  the 
mix-up,  and  if  you  want  the  yacht  you  just  take  it,  and 
I  '11  stay  here  in  Nagasaki  with  the  womenfolk  till  you 
return ;  but  if  I  had  my  way  I  'd  clear  out  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country  altogether." 

"  Why  not  do  so,  Mr.  Hemster.  I  have  entirely 
given  up  the  notion  of  taking  the  yacht,  because  the 
Chinese  steamer  will  be  much  less  conspicuous  and  will 
cause  less  talk  in  Chemulpo  than  the  coming  back  of 
the  yacht.  Of  course  the  Emperor  will  have  spies 
down  at  the  port,  and  it  will  seem  to  them  perfectly 
natural  for  the  black  ship  to  return.  Meanwhile,  be- 
fore his  Majesty  knows  what  has  happened,  I  shall  be 
up  in  Seoul  and  in  the  Palace  with  my  Japanese,  and 
I  think  I  shall  succeed  in  terrorizing  the  old  boy  to  such 
an  extent  that  in  less  than  ten  minutes  we  shall  be 

265 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

marching  back  again  with  Hun  Woe's  whole  family 
and  troop  of  relatives.  '  Once  aboard  the  lugger  '  they 
are  safe,  for  Corea  has  no  ship  to  overtake  them,  and 
the  whole  thing  will  be  done  so  suddenly  that  the  Chi- 
nese steamer  will  be  half-way  across  the  Pacific,  or  the 
whole  way  to  Shanghai,  before  the  Coreans  have  made 
up  their  minds  what  to  do.  I  shall  leave  with  the 
ship,  and  have  them  drop  me  at  Nagasaki  or  Shanghai, 
or  whatever  port  we  conclude  to  make  for.  Then  I 
can  rejoin  the  yacht  at  any  port  we  agree  upon." 

"  You  appear  to  think  you  '11  have  no  trouble  with 
your  expedition,  then  ?  " 

"  Oh,  not  the  slightest." 

"  Well,  you  know,  we  had  trouble  enough  with 
ours." 

"  Yes,  but  this  is  a  mere  dash  of  twenty-six  miles 
there  and  twenty-six  miles  back.  We  ought  to  be  able 
to  do  it  within  a  day  and  a  night,  and  if  old  Hun  Woe 
attends  rightly  to  his  coaling  and  his  provisioning,  all 
Corea  cannot  stop  him.  I  think  he  is  badly  enough 
frightened  not  to  omit  any  details  that  make  for  his 
safety." 

"  Very  well,  we  '11  stay  right  here  till  you  return.  I 
suppose  that  old  Chinese  tub  will  take  some  time  worry- 
ing her  way  to  Corea  and  back  again,  although  I  '11 
confess  she  seemed  to  come  on  like  a  prairie  fire  when 
she  was  heading  for  us.  Now  I  guess  everybody  is 
just  a  little  tired  of  life  on  shipboard.  I  've  noticed 
that  when  a  lot  of  people  are  cooped  up  together  for  a 
while  things  don't  run  on  as  smoothly  as  they  might 
sometimes,  so  I  '11  hire  a  floor  in  the  principal  hotel 

266 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

here  and  live  ashore  until  we  see  your  Chinese  steamer 
come  into  the  harbour  again.  I  suppose  the  captain  will 
prefer  to  live  on  the  yacht,  but  the  rest  of  us  will  sam- 
ple hotel  life.  I  'm  rather  yearning  for  a  change  my- 
self ;  besides  I  think  my  daughter  would  be  safer  ashore 
than  on  board  here,  for  one  can't  tell,  as  you  said,  what 
these  hoodlums  may  attempt ;  and  as  long  as  they  're 
convinced  she  's  on  the  yacht  we  're  in  constant  danger 
of  being  run  down,  or  torpedoed,  or  something.  Now, 
you  would  n't  mind  telling  my  daughter  what  you  've 
told  me  about  the  intentions  of  this  here  Prime  Minis- 
ter ?  She 's  rather  fond  of  wandering  around  town 
alone,  and  I  guess  she  'd  better  know  that  until  this 
Chinese  steamer  sails  away  she  is  in  some  danger." 

"  I  suggest  that  she  should  n't  go  sightseeing  or 
shopping  without  an  escort,  Mr.  Hemster." 

"  Well,  a  good  deal  will  depend  on  what  Gertie 
thinks  herself,  as  perhaps  you  have  found  out  while 
you  've  been  with  us." 

He  sent  for  his  daughter,  and  I  placed  a  third  chair 
for  the  girl  when  she  arrived.  She  listened  with  great 
interest  to  my  narration  of  the  events  on  board  the 
Chinese  steamer,  and  I  added  my  warning  that  it  was 
advisable  for  her  not  to  desert  the  frequented  parts  of 
Nagasaki,  and  never  to  make  any  expedition  through 
the  town  without  one  or  more  masculine  persons  to 
protect  her.  She  tossed  her  head  as  I  said  this,  and 
replied  rather  cuttingly: 

"  I  guess  I  'm  able  to  take  care  of  myself." 

I  should  have  had  sense  enough  to  let  it  go  at  that, 
but  I  was  much  better  aware  of  her  peril  then  even  her 

267 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

father  was,  for  I  knew  Nagasaki  like  a  well-thumbed 
book;  so  I  said  it  was  a  regular  labyrinth  into  whose 
mazes  even  a  person  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
town  might  get  lost,  and  as  the  Prime  Minister  had 
plenty  of  money  at  his  command,  he  had  the  choice  of 
all  the  outscourings  of  the  nations  here  along  the  port, 
who  would  murder  or  kidnap  without  a  qualm  for  a 
very  small  sum  of  ready  cash. 

"  There  is  no  use  in  saying  anything  more,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne,"  put  in  her  father,  definitely ;  "  I  '11  see  to  it 
that  my  daughter  does  not  go  abroad  unprotected." 

"  Well,  Poppa,"  she  cried,  "  I  like  the  hotel  idea  first 
rate,  and  I  'm  going  there  right  away;  but  I  want  a 
suite  of  rooms  to  myself.  I  'm  not  coming  down  to  the 
public  table,  and  I  wish  to  have  the  Countess  and  my 
own  maid  with  me  and  no  one  else." 

"  That 's  all  right,"  said  her  father,  "  you  can  have 
what  you  like.  I  '11  buy  the  whole  hotel  for  you  if  you 
want  it." 

"  No,  I  just  wish  a  suite  of  rooms  that  will  be  my 
own ;  and  I  won't  have  any  visitors  that  I  don't  invite 
specially." 

"  Won't  you  allow  me  to  visit  you,  Gertie  ?  "  asked 
the  old  gentleman  with  a  quizzical  smile. 

"  No,  I  don't  want  you  or  any  one  else.  I  'm  just 
tired  of  people,  that 's  what  I  am.  I  intended  to  pro- 
pose going  to  the  hotel  anyhow.  I  'm  just  sick  of  this 
yacht,  and  have  a  notion  to  go  home  in  one  of  the  regu- 
lar steamers.  I  'm  going  right  over  to  the  hotel  now 
and  pick  my  own  rooms." 

"  Just  as  you  please,"  concurred  her  father.  "  Per- 
268 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

haps  Mr.  Tremorne  will  be  good  enough  to  escort  you 
there." 

"  I  have  told  you  that  I  don't  want  Mr.  Tremorne, 
or  Mr.  Hemster,  or  Mr.  Anybody-else.  If  I  must  have 
an  escort  I  '11  take  two  of  the  sailors." 

"  That  will  be  perfectly  satisfactory.  Take  as  many 
trunks  as  you  want,  and  secure  the  best  rooms  in  the 
hotel." 

Shortly  afterward  Miss  Hemster,  with  her  maid 
and  the  Countess,  left  the  yacht  in  the  launch,  the 
mountain  of  luggage  following  in  another  boat.  The 
launch  and  the  boat  remained  an  unconscionably  long 
time  at  the  landing,  until  even  Mr.  Hemster  became 
impatient,  ordering  the  captain  to  signal  their  return. 
When,  in  response  to  this,  they  came  back,  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  launch  told  Mr.  Hemster  that  his 
daughter  had  ordered  them  to  remain  until  she  sent 
them  word  whether  or  not  she  had  secured  rooms  to 
her  satisfaction  at  the  hotel.  Meanwhile  she  had  given 
the  officer  a  letter  to  her  father,  which  he  now  handed 
to  the  old  gentleman.  He  read  it  through  two  or  three 
times  with  a  puzzled  expression  on  his  face,  then 
handed  it  to  me,  saying: 

"  What  do  you  make  of  that?  " 

The  letter  ran  as  follows : 

"DEAR  POPPA: 

"  I  have  changed  my  mind  about  the  hotel,  and,  not 
wanting  a  fuss,  said  nothing  to  you  before  I  left.  As  I  told 
you,  I  am  tired  to  death  of  both  the  yacht  and  the  sea,  and  I 
want  to  get  to  some  place  where  I  need  look  on  neither  of 
them.  The  Countess,  who  knows  more  about  Japan  than  Mr. 

269 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Tremorne  thinks  he  knows,  has  been  kind  enough  to  offer  me 
her  country  house  for  a  week  or  two,  which  is  situated  eight 
or  nine  miles  from  Nagasaki.  I  want  to  see  something  of  high 
life  in  Japan,  and  so  may  stay  perhaps  for  two  weeks;  and  it' 
you  are  really  as  anxious  about  my  kidnapping  as  you  pretend, 
you  may  be  quite  sure  I  am  safe  where  I  am  going, —  much 
more  so  than  if  I  had  stayed  at  the  hotel  at  Nagasaki.  I  don't 
believe  there 's  any  danger  at  all,  but  think  Mr.  Tremorne 
wants  to  impress  you  with  a  feeling  of  his  great  usefulness, 
and  you  may  tell  him  I  said  so  if  you  like.  Perhaps  I  shall  tire 
of  the  place  where  I  am  going  in  two  or  three  days ;  it  is  more 
than  likely.  Anyhow,  I  want  to  get  away  from  present  com- 
pany for  a  time  at  least.  I  will  send  a  message  to  you  when  I 
am  returning. 

"  Yours  affectionately, 

"  GERTIE." 

This  struck  me  as  a  most  ungracious  and  heartless 
communication  to  a  father  who  was  devoting  his  life 
and  fortune  to  her  service.  I  glanced  up  at  the  old 
gentleman ;  but,  although  he  had  asked  my  opinion  on 
this  epistle,  his  face  showed  no  perturbation  regarding 
its  contents.  I  suppose  he  was  accustomed  to  the 
young  woman's  vagaries. 

The  letter  seemed  to  me  very  disquieting.  It  had 
been  written  on  board  the  yacht  before  she  left,  so 
perhaps  the  country  house  visit  had  been  in  her  mind 
for  some  time;  nevertheless  there  were  two  or  three 
circumstances  which  seemed  to  me  suspicious.  It  was 
an  extraordinary  thing  that  a  Countess  should  take 
what  was  practically  a  servant's  position  if  she  pos- 
sessed a  country  house.  Then,  again,  it  was  no  less 
extraordinary  that  this  Japanese  woman  should  be  able 
to  speak  Corean,  of  which  fact  I  had  had  auricular 

270 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

demonstration.  Could  it  be  possible  that  there  was 
any  connection  between  the  engaging  of  this  woman 
and  the  arrival  of  the  Chinese  steamer?  Was  the  so- 
called  Countess  an  emissary  of  the  Corean  Prime  Min- 
ister? A  moment's  reflection  caused  me  to  dismiss 
this  conjecture  as  impossible,  because  Miss  Hemster 
had  engaged  the  Countess  on  the  day  she  arrived  at 
Nagasaki,  and,  as  our  yacht  was  more  speedy  than  any 
other  vessel  that  might  have  come  from  Corea,  all  idea 
of  collusion  between  the  Corean  man  and  the  Japanese 
woman  seemed  far  fetched.  Should  I  then  communi- 
cate my  doubts  to  Mr.  Hemster?  He  seemed  quite  at 
his  ease  about  the  matter,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  disturb 
him  unnecessarily.  Yet  he  had  handed  me  the  letter, 
and  he  wished  my  opinion  on  it.  He  interrupted  my 
meditations  by  repeating  his  question : 
"  Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it  ?  " 
"  It  seems  to  me  the  letter  of  one  who  is  accustomed 
to  think  and  act  for  herself,  without  any  undue  regard 
to  the  convenience  of  others." 

"  Yes,  that  's  about  the  size  of  it." 
"  Has  she  ever  done  anything  like  this  before  ?  " 
"  Oh,  bless  you,  often.     I  have  known  her  to  leave 
Chicago  for  New  York  and  turn  up  at  Omaha." 

"  Then  you  are  not  in  any  way  alarmed  by  the  re- 
ceipt of  this  ?  " 

"  No,  I  see  no  reason  for  alarm ;  do  you  ?  " 
"  Who    is    this    Countess    that    owns    the    country 
house  ?  " 

"  I  don't  even  know  her  name.    Gertie  went  ashore 
soon  after  we  came  into  the  harbour  and  visited  the 

271 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

American  Consul,  who  sent  out  for  this  woman,  and 
Gertie  engaged  her  then  and  there." 

"  Is  n't  it  a  little  remarkable  that  she  speaks 
Gorean  ?  " 

"  Well,  the  American  Consul  said  there  was  n't  many 
of  them  could;  but  Gertie,  after  being  at  Seoul,  de- 
termined to  learn  the  language,  and  that 's  why  she 
took  on  the  Countess." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  She  stipulated,  then,  for  one  who  knew 
Corean  ?  " 

"  Quite  so ;  she  told  me  before  we  left  Chemulpo 
that  she  intended  to  learn  the  language." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Hemster,  what  you  say  relieves  my  mind 
a  good  deal.  If  she  got  the  woman  on  the  recommen- 
dation of  the  American  Consul,  everything  is  all  right. 
The  coming  of  the  Prime  Minister,  and  the  fact  that 
this  Countess  understands  Corean,  made  me  fear  that 
there  might  be  some  collusion  between  the  two." 

"  That  is  impossible,"  said  Mr.  Hemster  calmly. 
"If  the  Corean  Minister  had  come  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore the  Countess  was  engaged,  there  might  have  been 
a  possibility  of  a  conspiracy  between  them;  but  con- 
vincing proof  that  such  is  not  the  case  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  Prime  Minister  would  not  then  have  needed 
to  run  us  down,  which  he  certainly  tried  to  do." 

I  had  not  thought  of  this,  and  it  was  quite  convinc- 
ing, taken  in  the  light  of  the  fact  that  Miss  Hemster 
had  frequently  acted  in  this  impulsive  way  before. 

We  resolved  not  to  leave  the  yacht  that  night,  even 
if  we  left  it  at  all,  now  that  Miss  Hemster  had  taken 
herself  into  the  interior.  Whatever  she  thought,  or 

272 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

whatever  her  preferences  were,  I  imagine  her  father 
liked  the  yacht  better  than  a  hotel. 

Hilda  and  I  went  on  deck  after  dinner  and  remained 
there  while  the  lights  came  out  all  over  Nagasaki,  form- 
ing a  picture  like  fairyland  or  the  superb  setting  of  a 
gigantic  opera.  We  were  aroused  by  a  cry  from  one 
of  the  sailors,  and  then  a  shout  from  the  bridge. 

"  That  Chinese  beast  is  coming  at  us  again !  " 

Sure  enough  the  steamer  had  left  her  moorings, 
rounded  inside  toward  the  city,  and  now  was  making 
directly  toward  us  without  a  light  showing. 

"  Get  into  the  boats  at  once,"  roared  the  captain. 

I  hailed  Hemster,  who  was  below,  at  the  top  of  my 
voice,  and  he  replied  when  I  shouted :  "  Come  up  im- 
mediately and  get  into  the  small  boat." 

By  the  time  he  was  on  deck  I  had  Hilda  in  one  of  the 
boats,  and  Mr.  Hemster  was  beside  her  a  moment  later. 
Two  sailors  seized  the  oars  and  pushed  off.  The  next 
instant  there  was  a  crash,  and  the  huge  black  bulk  of 
the  Chinese  steamer  loomed  over  us,  passing  quickly 
away  into  the  night.  I  thought  I  heard  a  woman 
scream  somewhere,  but  could  not  be  quite  sure. 

"Did  you  hear  anything?"  I  asked  Hemster. 

"  I  heard  an  almighty  crashing  of  timber.  I  wonder 
if  they  've  sunk  the  yacht." 

The  captain's  gruff  voice  hailed  us. 

"  They  Ve  carried  away  the  rudder,"  he  said,  "  and 
shattered  the  stern,  but  not  seriously.  She  will  remain 
afloat,  but  will  have  to  go  into  dry-dock  to-morrow." 


273 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

THE  Chinese  steamer,  if  indeed  it  were  she,  al- 
though we  could  not  be  sure  in  the  dark- 
ness, had  sent  us  to  the  hotel  when  we  had 
made  up  our  minds  not  to  go.  We  in  the  boat  hovered 
near  the  yacht  long  enough  for  the  captain  to  make  a 
hurried  examination  of  the  damage.  The  wreck  cer- 
tainly looked  serious,  for  the  overhang  of  the  stern  had 
been  smashed  into  matchwood,  while  the  derelict  rud- 
der hung  in  chains  like  an  executed  pirate  of  a  couple 
of  centuries  agone.  It  was  impossible  at  the  moment 
to  estimate  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  the  extent  of 
the  disaster.  The  captain  reported  that  she  was  not 
leaking,  and  therefore  her  owner  need  have  no  fear 
that  she  would  sink  during  the  night.  The  rudder 
had  certainly  been  carried  away,  and  probably  one  of 
the  propellers  was  damaged.  In  any  case  the  yacht 
would  have  to  go  into  dry-dock ;  so,  being  satisfied  on 
the  score  of  immediate  safety,  Mr.  Hemster  gave  or- 
ders to  pull  ashore,  and  thus  we  became  guests  of  the 
Nagasaki  Hotel. 

Next  morning  the  Chinese  steamer  was  nowhere  in 
sight,  so  it  was  reasonably  certain  she  had  been  the 
cause  of  our  misfortune.  The  yacht  rode  at  its  anchor- 
age, apparently  none  the  worse  so  far  as  could  be  seen 
from  the  town.  Before  noon  the  craft  was  in  dock, 

274 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

and  we  learned  to  our  relief  that  her  propellers  were 
untouched.  She  needed  a  new  rudder,  and  the  rest  was 
mere  carpenter  work  which  would  be  speedily  accom- 
plished by  the  deft  Japanese  workmen.  Mr.  Hemster 
had  his  desk  removed  to  a  room  in  the  hotel,  and  busi- 
ness went  on  as  before,  for  there  were  still  many  details 
to  be  settled  with  Mr.  John  C.  Cammerford  before  he 
proceeded  toward  San  Francisco.  I  think  we  all  en- 
joyed the  enlarged  freedom  of  residence  on  shore,  and 
the  old  gentleman  said  that  he  quite  understood  his 
daughter's  desire  to  get  away  from  sight  of  sea  or  ship. 
It  struck  me  as  remarkable  that  he  was  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  daughter, 
nor  did  he  doubt  for  a  moment  her  assertion  that  she 
was  going  to  stop  at  the  country  house  of  the  Countess. 
On  the  other  hand  I  was  almost  convinced  she  had  been 
kidnapped,  but  did  not  venture  to  display  my  suspicions 
to  her  father,  as  there  seemed  no  useful  purpose  to  be 
served  by  arousing  anxiety  when  my  fears  rested  purely 
on  conjecture.  Of  course  I  consulted  confidentially 
with  Hilda,  but  a  curious  transformation  had  taken 
place  in  our  several  beliefs.  When  she  spoke  of  the 
probability  of  the  girl's  committing  suicide  or  doing 
something  desperate,  I  had  pooh-poohed  her  theory. 
We  had  each  convinced  the  other,  and  I  had  adopted 
her  former  view  while  she  had  adopted  mine.  She 
had  heard  no  scream  on  the  night  of  the  disaster,  and 
regarded  it  as  a  trick  of  my  imagination. 

But  what  made  me  more  uneasy  was  the  departure 
of  the  Prime  Minister.  His  fears  for  himself  and 
family  were  genuine  enough,  and  he  was  not  likely  to 

275 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

abandon  a  quest  merely  because  his  first  effort  had 
failed.  It  meant  death  to  him  if  he  returned  to  Seoul 
without  the  girl,  so,  if  he  had  not  captured  her,  it 
seemed  incredible  that  he  should  return  the  same  night 
without  a  single  effort  to  accomplish  his  mission.  The 
second, — and,  as  far  as  he  knew,  successful, — essay 
to  sink  the  yacht,  must  have  been  to  prevent  pursuit. 
He  was  probably  well  aware  that  the  yacht  was  the 
fastest  steamer  in  the  harbour,  and,  if  it  were  not  dis- 
abled, would  speedily  overhaul  him.  He  also  knew 
that  his  officers  and  crew  were  no  heroes,  and  that  with 
half-a-dozen  energetic  Japanese  in  addition  to  our  own 
crew  we  could  capture  his  steamer  on  the  high  seas 
without  the  slightest  effort  being  put  forth  to  hinder 
us.  He  had  now  a  clear  run  to  Chemulpo,  and,  how- 
ever resolute  we  were,  there  was  no  possibility  of  our 
overtaking  him.  I  had  offered  him  my  assistance, 
which  he  had  accepted  in  a  provisional  sort  of  way,  yet 
here  he  had  disappeared  from  the  scene  without  leav- 
ing word  for  me,  and  apparently  had  returned  to  the 
land  where  his  fate  was  certain  if  he  was  unsuccessful. 
Of  course,  he  might  have  made  for  Yokohama  or 
Shanghai,  but  I  was  convinced,  after  all,  that  he  cared 
more  for  the  safety  of  his  family  than  for  his  own,  and 
indeed,  if  he  was  thinking  only  of  himself,  he  was  as 
safe  in  Nagasaki  as  elsewhere.  I  could  therefore  come 
to  no  other  conclusion  than  that  the  girl  was  aboard 
the  Chinese  steamer  and  was  now  a  prisoner  on  her 
way  to  Seoul,  but  of  this  I  could  not  convince  Hilda 
Stretton,  and  Mr.  Hemster  evidently  had  no  misgivings 
in  the  matter. 

276 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Obviously  the  first  thing  to  do  was  to  learn  the  ante- 
cedents of  the  so-called  Japanese  Countess,  and  with 
this  intent  I  called  at  the  American  Consulate.  The 
official  in  charge  received  me  with  the  gracious  good- 
comradeship  of  his  nation,  and  replied  with  the  utmost 
frankness  to  my  questions.  He  remembered  Miss 
Hemster's  visit  of  a  few  days  before,  and  he  assured 
me  that  the  Countess  was  above  suspicion.  As  for  her 
knowledge  of  Corean,  that  was  easily  accounted  for, 
because  her  late  husband  had  been  a  Japanese  official 
at  Seoul  a  dozen  years  or  so  ago,  and  she  had  lived 
with  him  in  that  city.  Corea,  indeed,  had  been  in  a 
way  the  cause  of  the  Countess's  financial  misfortunes. 
Her  husband,  some  years  before  he  died,  had  invested 
largely  in  Corean  enterprises,  all  of  which  had  failed, 
and  so  left  his  wife  with  scarcely  anything  to  live  upon 
except  the  country  house,  which  was  so  remote  from 
Nagaski  as  to  be  unsalable  for  anything  like  the  money 
he  had  expended  upon  it.  Exactly  where  this  country 
house  was  situated  the  United  States  Consul  professed 
himself  ignorant,  but  said  he  would  endeavour  to  find 
out  for  me,  and  so  genially  asked  me  to  take  a  drink 
with  him  and  call  a  few  days  later. 

This  conversation  did  much  to  dissipate  my  doubts. 
Of  course,  without  Mr.  Hemster's  permission  I  could 
not  tell  the  Consul  the  full  particulars  of  the  case,  or 
even  make  any  reference  to  them.  So  far  as  that  cour- 
teous official  knew,  I  was  merely  making  inquiries  on 
behalf  of  Mr.  Hemster  about  the  woman  engaged  to 
be  his  daughter's  companion,  and  about  the  country 
house  which  the  girl  had  been  invited  to  visit.  The 

277 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Consul  assured  me  that  everything  was  right  and 
proper,  and  that  Miss  Hemster  would  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  inner  life  of  the  Japanese  not  usually  unfolded  to 
strangers,  and  thus  my  reason  was  convinced,  although 
my  instinct  told  me  there  was  something  unaccount- 
able in  all  this.  The  scream  I  had  heard  simultane- 
ously with  the  crashing  of  the  collision  might  of  course 
have  been  the  shrill  shriek  of  one  of  the  Chinese  sail- 
ors, but  at  the  time  it  had  sounded  to  me  suspiciously 
like  the  terrified  exclamation  of  a  woman.  Then, 
again,  the  action  of  the  Prime  Minister  remained  as 
unaccountable  as  ever,  unless  my  former  theory  proved 
correct.  However,  I  got  the  name  of  the  Countess, 
which  none  of  us  who  remained  had  known  before,  and 
I  promised  to  return  and  learn  the  situation  of  the 
country  house.  My  visit,  on  the  whole,  was  rather 
reassuring ;  for,  after  all,  there  was  little  use  in  attach- 
ing too  much  importance  to  the  actions  of  any  Corean, 
even  though  he  were  Prime  Minister  of  that  country ; 
so  the  problem  began  to  appear  to  be  a  self-conjured 
one,  and  I  gradually  came  to  recognize  that  I  had  been 
troubling  myself  for  nothing. 

The  week  that  followed  was  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful in  my  existence.  The  captain  was  superintending 
the  repairs  on  the  yacht,  and  the  intricacies  of  Mr. 
Hemster's  business  activity  were  such  that  I  could  not 
be  of  much  assistance  to  him ;  so  there  was  practically 
nothing  to  do  but  to  make  myself  agreeable  to  that  dear 
girl,  Hilda,  to  whom  I  showed  whatever  beauties  Na- 
gasaki possessed,  and  surely  no  one  knew  the  town  bet- 
ter than  I  did.  She  took  a  vivid  interest,  not  only  in 

278 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  place,  but  also  in  my  own  somewhat  doleful  experi- 
ence there  in  former  and  less  happy  times,  not  yet  re- 
mote, the  recital  of  which  experiences  rendered  the 
present  all  the  more  glorious  by  contrast. 

On  our  tenth  day  ashore  Hilda  told  me  that  the  old 
gentleman  was  beginning  to  worry  because  he  had 
heard  nothing  from  his  daughter,  and  Hilda  herself 
expressed  some  uneasiness  because  of  the  long  silence. 
This  aroused  all  my  old  doubts,  and  I  called  a  second 
time  on  the  American  Consul.  He  told  me  that  the 
information  I  sought  had  been  in  hand  several  days. 
The  villa  was  called  "  The  House  of  the  Million  Blos- 
soms," and  it  was  situated  nearly  ten  miles  from 
Nagasaki.  He  produced  a  sketch  map,  drawn  by  him- 
self, which  he  said  would  guide  me  to  the  place,  so  I 
resolved  to  visit  it  without  saying  a  word  to  anyone. 

I  found  the  villa  of  the  Blossoms  without  the  least 
difficulty,  and  a  most  enchanting  spot  it  appeared  to  be. 
Situated  inland,  at  the  bottom  of  a  sheltered  valley, 
through  which  ran  a  trickling  stream,  the  place  had 
evidently  been  one  of  importance  in  its  day;  but  now 
the  entrance  lodge  showed  signs  of  dilapidation,  and 
the  plantation  itself  was  so  marvellously  overgrown  as 
to  be  almost  a  wilderness,  with  foliage  too  thick  for 
me  to  see  anything  of  the  house  itself.  The  custodian 
of  the  lodge  received  me  with  great  urbanity  but  no 
less  firmness.  He  confessed  that  the  ladies  were  there, 
but  added  that  he  had  strict  orders  to  allow  no  one  to 
enter  or  even  to  approach  the  house.  I  asked  him  to 
take  my  card  to  the  stranger  lady,  and,  although  at 
first  he  demurred,  I  overcome  his  reluctance  by  an 

279 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

urbanity  which  I  flatter  myself  was  a  stage  imitation 
of  his  own,  and,  what  was  more  to  the  purpose,  I  in- 
duced him  to  accept  a  present  in  the  coinage  of  the 
realm.  Nevertheless  he  securely  barred  the  gate  and 
left  me  outside,  showing  that  his  trust  in  my  good 
faith  was  either  very  weak,  or  that  his  politeness  was 
confined  to  the  flowery  language  of  his  country.  After 
a  long  absence  he  returned,  and  handed  to  me  a  folded 
sheet  of  note  paper  which  I  recognized  as  belonging 
to  the  stationery  of  the  yacht.  It  bore  these  words  in 
English,  and  in  Miss  Hemster's  handwriting: 

"  I  wish  to  remain  here  in  seclusion,  and  I  consider  it  very 
impertinent  of  you  to  have  sought  me  out.  I  am  perfectly 
happy  here,  which  I  was  not  on  board  the  yacht,  and  all  I  wish 
is  to  be  left  alone.  When  good  and  ready  I  will  write  to  the 
yacht  and  to  the  Nagasaki  Hotel.  Until  that  time  it  is  useless 
for  you  to  intrude." 

This  was  definite  enough,  and  I  turned  away  angry 
with  myself  for  having  played  the  busybody,  not  know- 
ing enough  to  attend  to  my  own  affairs.  I  had  in- 
tended to  tell  the  young  woman  of  the  accident  to  the 
yacht,  making  that  in  some  way  the  excuse  for  my 
visit;  but  in  the  face  of  such  a  message  I  forgot  all 
about  the  information  I  desired  to  impart,  and  so  re- 
turned in  a  huff  to  Nagasaki.  This  message  set  at  rest 
all  thoughts  of  kidnapping,  although  it  left  my  hon- 
oured friend  Hun  Woe's  precipitate  departure  as  much 
a  mystery  as  ever. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  hotel  I  showed  the  note  to 
Hilda,  who  averred  there  could  be  no  doubt  about  its 
genuineness,  and  she  asked  my  permission  to  give  it  to 

280 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

Mr.  Hemster  to  allay  his  rapidly  arising  anxiety,  which 
mission  it  certainly  performed  as  completely  as  it  had 
snubbed  me. 

Next  day  the  yacht  was  floated  and  appeared  none 
the  worse  for  the  collision.  The  captain  took  her  out 
to  the  anchorage,  and  so  we  waited  several  days  to  hear 
from  the  girl,  but  no  word  came.  Finally  her  father 
wrote  a  letter  to  her,  beseeching  some  indication  of  her 
plans,  and  this  was  sent  by  messenger  to  the  House  of 
the  Million  Blossoms.  The  old  gentleman  had  become 
exceedingly  tired  of  Nagasaki,  and  very  evidently  did 
not  know  what  to  do  with  himself.  The  messenger  re- 
turned, but  brought  no  answer.  He  said  the  man  at 
the  gate  had  taken  in  the  letter,  and  brought  out  the 
verbal  message  that  the  lady  would  write  when  she 
was  ready  to  do  so.  This  was  the  reverse  of  satisfac- 
tory, and  Mr.  Hemster  roamed  about  disconsolately 
like  a  lost  spirit.  Hilda  said  he  told  her  that  his  daugh- 
ter had  never  before  remained  in  the  same  mind  for 
two  days  together,  and  this  prolonged  country-house 
visit  caused  him  great  uneasiness.  He  now  became  in- 
fused with  the  kidnapping  idea,  not  fearing  that  she 
had  been  taken  away  to  Corea,  but  believing  that  the 
Japanese  were  holding  her  prisoner,  perhaps  with  the 
idea  of  a  ransom  later  on.  Finally  Mr.  Hemster  deter- 
mined to  visit  the  House  of  the  Million  Blossoms  him- 
self, and  he  insisted  on  Hilda's  accompanying  us,  which 
she  did  with  some  reluctance.  Never  did  she  believe 
that  this  was  other  than  one  of  the  girl's  prolonged 
caprices  to  make  us  all  anxious,  hoping  to  laugh  at  us 
later  on  for  being  so. 

281 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

At  the  gateway  we  were  met  by  the  same  imper- 
turbable guardian,  who  was  as  obdurate  as  ever.  He 
would  take  in  any  message,  he  said,  but  would  not  per- 
mit us  to  enter  even  the  grounds.  Mr.  Hemster  sent 
a  letter  he  had  written  at  the  hotel,  and  in  due  time  the 
keeper  came  out  with  a  signed  note,  somewhat  similar 
to  the  one  I  had  received.  It  said : 

"  DEAR  FATHER.  : 

"  Do  not  worry  about  me;  I  am  perfectly  happy  and  wish  to 
remain  here  a  few  days  longer. 

"  Your  affectionate  daughter, 

"G." 

After  reading  this  he  passed  it  on  to  Hilda  and  me  in 
silence.  He  got  into  his  'rickshaw  without  a  word, 
and  we  entered  ours.  The  men  tottered  along  until  we 
were  out  of  sight  of  the  lodge,  and  then  Mr.  Hemster 
called  a  halt.  He  sprang  out,  and,  approaching  me, 
said: 

"  Well,  Tremorne,  what  do  you  make  of  it  ?  " 

The  voice  in  which  his  question  was  put  quivered 
with  anguish,  and,  glancing  at  his  face,  I  saw  it  drawn 
and  haggard  with  an  expression  that  betokened  terror. 

"  Oh,  there  's  nothing  to  make  of  it,  Mr.  Hemster, 
except  that  the  young  lady,  for  some  reason  unknown 
to  me,  desires  to  make  you  anxious  and  has  succeeded." 

"  Tremorne,"  he  said,  unheeding  this  attempted  con- 
solation, "  look  at  this  note.  It  was  not  written  to-day, 
but  weeks  ago.  It  was  written  on  board  the  yacht,  and 
so  was  the  one  you  received,  although  I  did  not  notice 
that  at  the  time.  This  was  written  with  a  stub  pen, 

282 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

the  same  that  she  used  in  sending  me  the  first  letter; 
but  this  pen  she  did  not  take  away  with  her,  nor  the 
ink.  My  poor  girl  has  been  deluded  into  writing  those 
letters  by  some  one  who  had  a  subtle  end  to  serve.  I 
cannot  fathom  the  mystery,  but  I  am  certain  she  is  not 
in  that  house." 

I  sprang  down  from  my  'rickshaw. 

"I  '11  soon  settle  that  point,"  I  cried,  "  I  will  crush 
through  the  boundary  hedge,  and  break  in  the  door  of 
the  house.  If  there  are  any  ladies  within  they  will 
soon  make  an  outcry,  which  will  reveal  their  presence. 
You  wait  for  me  here." 

To  this  he  at  once  agreed,  and  with  some  difficulty 
I  got  into  the  thick  plantation,  through  which  I  made 
my  way  until  I  came  to  the  house,  the  first  look  at 
which  convinced  me  it  was  empty.  There  is  something 
of  desolate  loneliness  about  a  deserted  house  which  in- 
stantly strikes  a  beholder. 

There  was  no  need  for  me  to  break  in,  for  one  of  the 
windows  was  open,  and,  tip-toeing  up  on  the  broad 
veranda,  so  that  there  would  be  no  chance  of  the 
custodian  hearing  me,  I  entered  a  room  through  this 
window,  and  the  whole  silent  house  was  at  my  dis- 
posal. 

The  interior  would  have  struck  a  European  unac- 
quainted with  Japan  as  being  unfurnished,  but  I  saw 
that  it  remained  just  as  the  Countess  had  left  it.  On  a 
small  table,  standing  about  a  foot  from  the  floor,  I  saw 
a  note  similar  to  the  one  that  had  been  handed  to  me 
when  I  first  inquired  at  the  gate,  also  three  long  slips 
of  Japanese  paper  on  which  were  written  instructions 

283 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

in  the  Japanese  language.     I  read  them  with  amaze- 
ment.    The  first  said : 

"  This  letter  is  to  be  given  to  a  young  man  who  calls,  and 
who  speaks  Japanese  and  English." 

On  the  next  slip : 

"  This  letter  is  to  be  given  to  an  old  man  who  speaks  noth- 
ing but  English." 

The  third  slip  bore: 

"  This  is  to  be  given  to  a  young  woman  who  speaks  nothing 
but  English." 

There  was  also  a  minute  description  of  Mr.  Hem- 
ster,  Miss  Stretton,  and  myself,  so  that  the  man  at  the 
gate  could  make  no  mistake,  which  indeed  he  had  not 
done.  Hilda  had  not  asked  for  a  letter,  therefore  the 
remaining  note  had  not  been  delivered. 

Whoever  concocted  the  plot  had  expected  a  search 
to  be  made  for  the  House  of  the  Million  Blossoms,  and 
of  course  knew  that  its  situation  could  easily  be  found. 
I  put  all  the  documents  into  my  pocket,  and  now  went 
out  by  the  public  exit,  greatly  to  the  amazement  of  my 
urbane  friend  at  the  gate.  I  fear  I  may  be  accused  of 
adopting  Western  methods,  but  the  occasion  seemed  to 
me  too  serious  for  dilly-dallying.  I  pulled  Mr.  Hem- 
ster's  revolver  from  my  pocket  and  pointed  it  at  the 
man's  head. 

"  Now,  you  scoundrel,"  I  said  in  his  own  tongue, 
"  when  did  those  women  leave  here  ?  Answer  me 
truly,  or  I  shall  take  you  prisoner  to  Nagasaki,  where 
you  will  have  to  face  the  authorities." 

284 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  showed  him  the  written  instructions  I  had  cap- 
tured inside  the  house,  and  he  saw  at  once  that  the 
game  was  up. 

"  Excellency !  "  said  he,  still  politely  enough,  "  I  am 
but  a  poor  man  and  a  hireling.  Many  days  ago  a  mes- 
senger brought  me  these  instructions  and  three  letters.  , 
No  lady  has  been  in  this  house  for  some  years ;  the  in- 
structions were  written  by  my  mistress,  the  Countess, 
and  I  was  compelled  to  follow  them." 

I  saw  that  the  man  spoke  the  truth,  and  proceeded  to 
cross-examine  him  on  the  motives  which  he  imagined 
actuated  this  extraordinary  complication;  but  he  had 
told  me  all  he  knew,  and  was  apparently  as  much  in  the 
dark  regarding  the  motive  as  I  was  myself.  I  left 
him  there,  and  hurried  along  the  road  over  the  hill  to 
the  spot  where  I  had  left  Mr.  Hemster  and  Hilda. 
Here  I  explained  the  conspiracy  so  far  as  I  had  dis- 
covered it,  but  the  record  of  my  investigation  naturally 
did  nothing  to  calm  the  fears  of  my  employer,  whose 
shrewdness  had  given  a  clue  to  the  real  situation  at  the 
House  of  the  Million  Blossoms.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  but  get  back  to  Nagasaki  as  speedily  as  possible, 
and  lay  the  case  before  the  authorities.  Hemster 
seemed  suddenly  to  have  become  in  truth  an  old  man. 
We  went  directly  to  the  hotel,  and  the  clerk  met  us  in  • 
the  passage-way.  \ 

"  Mr.  Hemster,"  he  said,  "  this  telegram  came  for 
you  about  two  hours  ago." 

The  old  gentleman  tore  open  the  envelope,  read  the 
dispatch,  then  crushed  the  paper  in  his  hand. 

"  Just  as  I  thought,"  he  said.     "  She  is  in  Seoul  and 

285 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

has  found  some  way  of  communicating  with  me.  Poor 
little  girl,  poor  little  girl." 

The  father's  voice  broke  momentarily,  but  he  at  once 
pulled  himself  together  again. 

"  Tremorne,  tell  the  captain  to  get  the  yacht  under 
way.  We  will  go  on  board  immediately.  We  shall 
want  an  escort  from  Chemulpo  to  Seoul;  can  we  de- 
pend on  getting  them  at  the  port  as  we  did  before,  or 
had  we  better  bring  them  from  Nagasaki  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,"  said  I,  "  that  it  would  be  well  to  take 
a  dozen  from  here.  They  are  men  I  can  trust,  and  I 
shall  have  them  aboard  the  yacht  before  steam  is  up." 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  decisively,  "  see  to  it." 

I  sent  a  messenger  to  the  captain,  then  devoted  all 
my  energies  to  the  selecting  of  my  twelve  men,  taking 
care  that  they  were  properly  armed  and  provided  with 
rations.  I  sent  them  aboard  one  by  one  or  two  by  two 
in  sampans,  so  that  too  much  attention  might  not  be 
attracted  toward  our  expedition. 

This  task  accomplished,  I  hurried  back  to  the  hotel, 
and  found  Mr.  Hemster  and  Hilda  waiting  for  me. 
Cammerford  was  there  also,  talking  in  a  low  voice  very 
earnestly  with  the  old  gentleman,  who  stood  with  his 
eyes  bent  on  the  ground,  making  no  reply  to  the  other's 
expostulations  beyond  shaking  his  head  now  and  then. 
Hilda  and  I  went  on  ahead  to  the  landing,  the  two  men 
following  us.  To  my  surprise  Cammerford  stepped 
into  the  launch  and  continued  talking  to  the  silent  man 
beside  him.  When  we  reached  the  yacht  Mr.  Hemster 
without  a  word  mounted  the  steps  to  the  deck.  Hilda 
followed,  and  Cammerford  stood  in  the  launch,  a  puz- 

286 


zled  expression  on  his  face.  After  a  momentary  hesi- 
tation he  pushed  past  me,  and  ran  up  the  steps.  I  also 
went  on  deck,  and  by  the  time  I  reached  there  my  chief 
was  already  in  his  wicker  chair  with  his  feet  on  the  rail, 
and  a  fresh  unlit  cigar  in  his  mouth.  Cammerford 
went  jauntily  up  to  him  and  said  with  a  laugh  that 
seemed  somewhat  forced: 

"  Well,  Mr.  Hemster,  I  propose  to  continue  this  dis- 
cussion to  Corea." 

"Just  as  you  please,"  replied  the  old  man  non- 
chalantly. "  I  think  we  can  make  you  very  comfort* 
able  on  board." 


287 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

NOW  it  was  full  speed  ahead  and  a  direct  line 
for    Corea.     Once    in    the    open    sea,    we 
struck   straight   through   the    Archipelago 
and  took  our  chances  of  running  down  an  island,  as 
the  captain  had  said.     There  was  no  dawdling  this 
time,  for  the  engines  were  run  to  the  top  of  their  power. 
As  was  the  case  with  our  former  voyages  in  these 
waters,  the  weather  was  perfect  and  the  sea  smooth. 

Our  dinner  that  night  was  on  the  whole  a  silent  fes- 
tival. The  jovial  captain  did  not  come  down,  and  Mr. 
Hemster  sat  moodily  at  the  head  of  the  table,  absorbed 
in  thought  and  doubtless  tortured  with  anxiety.  Cam- 
merford  was  the  only  member  of  the  party  who  en- 
deavoured to  make  a  show  of  cheerful  demeanour.  His 
manner  with  women  was  one  of  deferential  urbanity, 
and,  as  he  never  ventured  to  joke  with  them,  he  was 
justly  popular  with  the  sex.  I  quite  envied  him  his 
power  of  pleasing,  which  was  so  spontaneous  that  it 
seemed  a  natural  and  not  an  acquired  gift.  The  man 
appeared  to  possess  an  almost  hypnotic  power  over  his 
fellow-creatures,  and  although  I  believed  him  to  be  one 
of  the  most  untrustworthy  rascals  alive,  yet  I  felt  this 
belief  crumbling  away  under  the  magnetic  charm  of 
his  conversation. 

288 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

The  old  gentleman  at  the  head  of  the  table  was 
evidently  immune  so  far  as  Cammerford's  fascination 
was  concerned.  I  surmised  that  there  had  come  a 
hitch  in  the  negotiations  between  them.  There  was  no 
trace  of  uneasiness  in  Cammerford's  attitude,  and  his 
voice  was  as  mildly  confident  as  ever.  No  one  would 
guess  that  he  was  practically  a  self-invited  guest  at 
this  board  Our  host  was  completely  taciturn,  but  the 
unbidden  guest  never  risked  a  snub  by  addressing  a 
direct  question  to  him,  although  he  airily  included  Mr. 
Hemster  with  the  rest  of  us  within  the  area  of  his  po- 
lite discourse.  Hilda  was  scarcely  more  responsive 
than  Mr.  Hemster  and  seemed  troubled  because  he  was 
troubled,  and  as  I  possessed  an  instinctive  dislike  for 
Cammerford  it  will  be  seen  that  he  had  a  most  difficult 
role  to  play,  which  he  enacted  with  a  success  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  Sir  Henry  Irving  himself. 
If  there  was  indeed,  as  I  suspected,  a  conflict  between 
the  elder  man  and  the  younger,  I  found  myself  wonder- 
ing which  would  win,  but  such  a  quiet  atmosphere  of 
confidence  enwrapped  the  latter  that  I  began  to  fear  Mr. 
Hemster  had  met  his  match,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he 
held  all  the  trump  cards.  Cammerford  represented  the 
new  school  of  financiers,  who  juggled  with  billions  as 
a  former  generation  had  played  with  millions.  My 
sympathies  were  entirely  with  Mr.  Hemster,  but  if  I 
had  been  a  sporting  man  my  bet  would  have  been  laid 
on  Cammerford.  I  mention  this  as  an  instance  of  the 
hypnotic  power  I  have  referred  to.  I  knew  that  Cam- 
merford could  not  form  his  gigantic  trust  and  leave 
Mr.  Hemster  out;  therefore,  as  I  say,  the  elder  man 

289 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

held  the  trumps.  Nevertheless  the  bearing  of  Cam- 
merford  indicated  such  reserved  assurance  that  I  felt 
certain  he  would  ultimately  bend  the  old  rr.an  to  his 
will,  and  I  watched  for  the  result  of  this  opposition  of 
forces  with  the  eagerness  with  which  one  awaits  the 
climax  of  an  exciting  play  on  the  stage. 

After  dinner  Hilda  came  on  deck  for  half  an  hour 
or  thereabouts,  and  we  walked  up  and  down  together. 
The  excitement  of  the  day  and  the  uncertainty  that  lay 
ahead  of  us  had  told  heavily  on  the  poor  girl,  and  I  had 
not  the  heart  to  persuade  her  to  remain  longer  on  deck. 
She  was  rather  depressed  and  admittedly  weary  of  the 
life  we  were  leading.  So  I  took  cowardly  advantage 
of  this  and  proposed  we  should  get  married  at  the 
American  Consulate  as  soon  as  the  yacht  returned  to 
Nagasaki.  Then,  I  said,  we  could  make  our  way  to 
Yokohama  and  take  passage  on  a  regular  liner  for  San 
Francisco. 

To  this  proposal  she  made  no  reply,  but  walked  de- 
murely by  my  side  with  downcast  eyes. 

"  Think  of  the  glories  of  Chicago  at  this  moment !  " 
I  cried  enthusiastically,  wishing  to  appeal  to  the  home 
feeling.  "  Dinner  finished ;  the  roar  of  the  traffic  in 
the  streets;  the  brilliancy  of  the  electric  light;  the 
theatres  open,  and  the  gay  crowds  entering  therein. 
Let  us  make  for  Chicago." 

She  looked  up  at  me  with  a  wan  little  smile,  and 
laughed  quietly. 

"  You  do  need  a  guardian,  as  Papa  Hemster  says. 
I  suppose  it  is  about  noon  in  Chicago  at  the  present 
moment,  and  I  don't  see  why  the  theatres  should  be 

290 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

open  at  that  hour.  It  is  the  roar  of  the  wheat  pit,  and 
not  of  the  traffic  you  are  hearing.  I  fear  your  visit  to 
Chicago  was  of  the  briefest,  for  your  picture  is  not 
very  convincing.  Still,  I  confess  I  wish  I  were  there 
now,  if  you  were  with  me."  Then  with  a  slight  sigh 
she  added,  "  I  '11  accept  that  guardianship  at  Nagasaki. 
Good-night,  my  dear,"  and  with  that  she  whisked  away 
and  disappeared  before  I  was  aware  of  her  meditated 
escape. 

I  lit  a  fresh  cigar  and  continued  my  promenade 
alone.  As  I  walked  aft  I  caught  snatches  of  the  musi- 
cal monotone  of  Cammerford's  voice.  Ever  since  din- 
ner time  he  had  been  in  earnest  conversation  with  Mr. 
Hemster,  who  sat  in  his  usual  chair  at  the  stern  of  the 
boat.  So  far  as  I  am  aware,  Mr.  Hemster  was  leav- 
ing the  burden  of  the  talk  to  the  younger  man,  who, 
from  the  tone  of  his  voice,  seemed  in  deadly  earnest. 
At  last  Mr.  Hemster  got  up  and  threw  his  cigar  over- 
board. I  heard  him  say : 

"  I  told  you,  Mr.  Cammerford,  that  I  would  not  dis- 
cuss this  matter  further  until  I  reached  Nagasaki.  The 
papers  are  all  in  my  desk  under  lock  and  key  in  the 
room  at  the  hotel,  and  that  room  is  closed  and  sealed. 
I  '11  say  no  more  about  this  scheme  until  I  am  back 
there." 

"  And  when  you  are  back  there,  Mr.  Hemster,  what 
action  are  you  going  to  take  ?  " 

"  Whatever  action  seems  to  be  best  for  my  own  in- 
terests, Mr.  Cammerford." 

"  Well,  from  most  men  that  reply  would  be  very 
unsatisfactory.  However,  I  am  glad  to  say  I  trust  you 

291 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

completely,  Mr.  Hemster,  and  I  know  you  will  do  the 
square  thing  in  the  end." 

"  I  'm  glad  you  think  so,"  'said  the  old  man  curtly, 
as  he  went  down  the  stairway.  Cammerford  stood 
there  for  a  few  moments,  then  strode  forward  and 
joined  me. 

"  May  I  beg  a  light  of  you  ?  "  he  asked,  as  if  he  were 
conferring  a  favour. 

I  don't  care  to  light  one  cigar  from  another,  so  I 
struck  a  match  and  held  it  while  he  took  advantage  of 
the  flame. 

"  Thanks.  Now,  Tremorne,  I  want  to  talk  with 
you  as  to  a  friend.  We  were  friends  once,  you 
know." 

"  True ;  the  kind  of  friend  the  celebrated  phrase 
refers  to,  perhaps." 

"What  phrase?" 

"  '  God  protect  me  from  my  friends,'  or  words  to  that 
effect." 

He  laughed  most  genially. 

"  That 's  one  on  me,"  he  said.  "  However,  I  look 
on  our  score  as  being  wiped  out.  Can't  you  let  by- 
gones be  bygones  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes." 

"  You  see  you  are  in  a  way  responsible.  I  have 
turned  over  the  money  to  you.  Granted  I  was  forced 
to  do  so.  I  claim  no  merit  in  the  matter,  but  I  do  say 
a  bargain  is  a  bargain.  I  showed  you  the  old  man's 
letter  to  me,  in  which  he  said  if  I  did  thus  and  so  by 
you,  he  would  join  me  in  the  big  beef  combine.  You 
remember  that,  don't  you  ?  " 

292 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Naturally,  I  should  n't  soon  forget  it,  or  forget  the 
generosity  of  Mr.  Hemster  in  writing  it." 

"  Oh,  generosity  is  cheap  when  you  are  doing  it  at 
somebody  else's  expense.  Still,  I  don't  complain  of  that 
at  all.  What  I  say  is  this :  I've  kept  my  part  of  the 
contract  strictly  and  honestly,  but  now  the  old  man  is 
trying  to  euchre  me." 

"  I  remember  also,  Mr.  Cammerford,  that  you  said 
Mr.  Hemster  was  a  rogue  or  dishonest,  or  something 
of  like  effect." 

"  Well,  so  he  is." 

"  In  that  case,  why  do  you  object  to  being  euchred 
by  him?" 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  had  his  promise  in  writing,  and  I 
thought  I  was  safe." 

"  You  have  it  in  writing  still,  I  presume.  If  he  does 
not  live  up  to  what  he  has  written,  you  probably  have 
your  recourse  at  law,  for  they  say  there  is  no  wrong 
without  a  remedy." 

"Oh,  that's  all  talking  through  your  hat.  It  is  n't 
a  lawsuit  I'm  after,  but  the  co-operation  of  Mr.  Hem- 
ster. What  chance  would  I  have  against  a  man  of  his 
wealth?" 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know.  What  is  it  you  wish  from 
me  ?  Advice  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  explain  the  situation  that  has  arisen, 
and  I  wish  to  know  if  you  have  anything  to  sug- 
gest that  will  lead  the  old  man  to  do  the  square 
thing?" 

"  I  have  no  suggestion  to  make,  Mr.  Cammerford." 

"  Supposing  he  does  not  keep  his  promise,  don't  you 

293 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

think  it  would  be  fair  that  the  money  I  expended  on  the 
strength  of  it  should  be  returned  to  me  ?  " 

"  It  does  seem  reasonable,  I  admit." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  and  to  tell  the  truth, 
Mr.  Tremorne,  it  is  just  the  action  I  should  expect  of 
you." 

"What  action?" 

"  The  returning  of  the  money,  of  course." 

"  Bless  my  soul,  you  don't  suppose  I  'm  going  to 
return  a  penny  of  it,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Ah,  your  honesty  is  theory  then,  not  practice." 

"  My  dear  sir,  my  honesty  is  both  theory  and  prac- 
tice. The  money  is  mine.  I  made  you  no  promises 
regarding  it.  In  fact,  I  refused  to  make  any  promise 
when  you  offered  me  half  the  amount.  If  I  had  made 
any  engagements  I  should  have  kept  them." 

"  I  see.  I  take  it  then  you  do  not  regard  yourself 
as  bound  by  any  promises  the  old  man  made  on  your 
behalf?" 

"  Certainly  not.  I  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  until 
you  showed  me  his  letter." 

"Your  position  is  perfectly  sound,  Mr.  Tremorne, 
and  I  unreservedly  withdraw  the  imputation  I  put  upon 
your  honesty  a  moment  since.  But  the  truth  is  that 
this  amount  represents  a  very  serious  loss  to  me.  It  was 
a  sprat  thrown  out  to  catch  a  whale,  or,  rather,  a  whale 
thrown  out  to  catch  a  shoal  of  whales.  But  if  I  lose 
the  whale  and  do  not  catch  my  shoal,  then  I  have  done 
a  very  bad  piece  of  business  by  coming  East.  Through 
this  proposed  combine  I  expected  to  make  several  mil- 
lions. Now,  if  you  will  join  in  with  me,  and  put 

294 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

your  half-million  into  the  pool,  I  '11  guarantee  that  be- 
fore a  month  you  have  doubled  it." 

"  You  gave  me  a  chance  like  that  once  before,  Mr. 
Cammerford." 

The  man  laughed  heartily  as  if  I  had  perpetrated  a 
very  amusing  joke. 

"  Oh,  yes,  but  that  was  years  ago.  We  have  both 
learned  a  good  deal  since." 

"  I  certainly  have,  Mr.  Cammerford.  I  have  learned 
so  much  that  I  will  not  part  with  a  penny  of  the  money ; 
not  a  red  cent  of  it,  as  we  say  out  West.  That  sum  is 
going  to  be  safely  salted  down,  and  it 's  not  going  to  be 
salted  in  a  corned-beef  tub  either.  I  don't  mind  telling 
you  that  I  intend  to  get  married  upon  it  at  the  Ameri- 
can Consulate  at  Nagasaki  before  a  week  is  past." 

"  Really  ?  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you,  my  boy. 
I  surmised  that  was  the  way  the  land  lay,  and  I  quite 
envy  you  your  charming  young  lady." 

"  Thanks ! " 

"  But  you  see,  Mr.  Tremorne,  that  makes  your 
money  doubly  safe.  I  noticed  that  Mr.  Hemster  is  as 
fond  of  Miss  Stretton  as  he  is  of  his  own  daughter, 
and  if  you  give  me  the  half  million,  he  '11  see  to  it  that 
you  make  a  hundred  per  cent  on  it." 

"  I  don't  at  all  agree  with  you,  Mr.  Cammerford. 
To  speak  with  brutal  frankness,  if  I  trusted  you  with 
the  money  which  you  once  succeeded  in  detaching 
from  me, — if  I  trusted  you  with  it  again, — he  would 
merely  look  upon  me  as  a  hopeless  fool,  and  I  must  say 
I  think  he  would  be  right." 

John  C.  Cammerford  was  a  man  whom  you  could  n't 

295 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

insult:  it  was  not  business  to  take  offence,  so  he  took 
none,  but  merely  laughed  again  in  his  free-hearted 
way. 

"  The  old  man  thinks  I  don't  see  what  his  game  is, 
but  I  do.  He  is  playing  for  time.  He  expects  to  hold 
me  out  here  in  the  East,  dangling  this  bait  before  me, 
until  it  is  too  late  for  me  to  do  anything  with  my  op- 
tions. Now,  he  is  going  to  get  left  at  that  game.  I 
have  more  cards  up  my  sleeve  than  he  imagines,  but 
I  don't  want  to  have  any  trouble  with  him :  I  want  to 
deal  with  him  in  a  friendly  manner  for  our  mutual 
benefit.  I  '11  play  fair  if  he  plays  fair.  It  is  n't  too 
much  to  ask  a  man  to  keep  his  word,  is  it ! " 

"  No,  the  demand  does  n't  appear  excessive." 

"  Very  good.  Now,  I  wish  you  would  have  a  quiet 
talk  with  him.  I  can  see  that  he  reposes  great  confi- 
dence in  you.  You  have  admitted  that  my  request  is 
an  honest  one,  so  I  hope  you  won't  mind  just  present- 
ing my  side  of  the  case  to  him." 

"  It  is  none  of  my  business,  Mr.  Cammerford.  I 
could  not  venture  to  take  such  a  liberty  with  Mr. 
Hemster." 

"  But  you  admit  the  old  man  is  n't  playing  fair  ?  " 

"  I  admit  nothing  of  the  sort :  I  don't  know  his 
side  of  the  story  at  all.  He  may  have  reasons  for  de- 
clining to  deal  with  you,  which  seem  to  him  conclu- 
sive." 

"  Granted.  But  nevertheless,  don't  you  think  he 
should  return  the  money  given  on  the  strength  of  his 
promise  ?  " 

"  Really  I  would  rather  not  discuss  the  matter  any 
296 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

further,  Mr.  Cammerford,  if  you  don't  mind.  I  over- 
heard you  telling  him  at  the  head  of  the  companion-way 
that  you  trusted  him  completely.  Very  well,  then,  why 
not  continue  to  do  so  ?  " 

Cammerford  gave  a  short  laugh  that  had  little  of 
mirth  in  it :  his  politeness  was  evidently  becoming  worn 
threadbare,  and  I  imagine  he  was  inwardly  cursing 
my  obstinacy.  There  was  silence  between  us  for  sev- 
eral minutes,  then  he  said  sharply : 

"  Is  this  yarn  about  the  kidnapping  of  his  daughter 
all  guff?" 

"  Who  told  you  about  it?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  he  did :  gave  that  as  the  reason  he  did  n't  wish 
to  talk  business." 

"  The  story  is  true,  and  I  think  the  reason  is  valid. 
If  you  take  my  advice,  you  will  not  talk  business  with 
him  in  the  face  of  his  prohibition  until  his  mind  is  at 
rest  regarding  his  daughter." 

"  Well,  I  guess  I  '11  take  your  advice ;  it  seems  to  be 
the  only  thing  I  'm  going  to  get  out  of  you.  I  thought 
the  daughter  story  was  only  a  yarn  to  bluff  me  from 
coming  aboard  the  yacht." 

"  It  was  n't,  and  furthermore,  I  don't  think  you 
showed  your  usual  perspicacity  in  not  accepting  Mr. 
Hamster's  intimation  that  he  did  n't  want  to  be  both- 
ered at  this  particular  time." 

"  Oh,  well,  as  to  that,"  said  Cammerford,  confi- 
dently, "  the  old  man  has  been  making  a  monkey  of  me 
for  some  weeks  now,  and  the  whole  matter  might  have 
been  settled  in  as  many  hours  if  he  had  cared  to  do  so. 
He  is  n't  going  to  shake  me  off  so  easily  as  he  thinks. 

297 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  '11  stick  to  him  till  he  keeps  his  promise,  and  don't  you 
forget  it." 

"  All  right,  I  '11  endeavour  to  keep  it  in  mind." 

"  You  won't  be  persuaded  to  try  and  lure  him  on  to 
the  straight  and  'narrow  path  of  honesty,  Mr.  Tre- 
morne  ?  " 

"  No,  I  'm  not  sure  that  he  's  off  it.  I  have  always 
found  him  treading  that  path." 

"  I  see.  Well,  good-night.  When  do  we  reach  that 
outlandish  place, — whatever  its  name  is  ?  " 

"  We  ought  to  arrive  at  Chemulpo  some  time  to- 
morrow night." 

"Chemulpo,  is  it?  Well,  I  wish  it  was  Chicago. 
So  long." 

"  Good-night,"  I  responded,  and  with  that  he  left  the 
world  to  darkness  and  to  me. 


298 


CHAPTER   XXV 

WE  came  to  anchor  a  little  after  ten  the  next 
night.  Mr.  Hemster  was  naturally  very 
impatient,  and  wished  to  proceed  at  once 
to  the  capital,  but  the  customs  authorities  refused  to 
let  us  land  until  daylight.  Cammerford  talked  very 
valiantly  of  forcing  our  way  ashore  and  going  to  Seoul 
in  the  darkness  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  and  indeed  the 
old  gentleman  was  rather  in  favour  of  such  a  course ; 
but  I  pointed  out  that  our  mission  might  be  one  of 
great  delicacy,  and  that  it  was  as  well  not  to  use  force 
unless  we  were  compelled  to  do  so. 

"  Even  in  New  York,"  said  I,  "  we  should  not  be 
allowed  to  proceed  up  the  harbour  after  sunset,  no  mat- 
ter how  anxious  we  might  be  to  land." 

This  was  not  thought  to  be  a  parallel  case,  but  the 
old  gentleman  suggested  that,  as  he  wished  no  undue 
publicity,  it  would  be  better  to  wait  until  daylight  and 
make  our  landing  with  as  little  ostentation  as  possible. 
I  tried  bribery,  but  for  once  it  was  ineffective,  and  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  I  incurred  the  contempt  of  the 
energetic  Cammerford,  I  counselled  less  hurry  and 
more  speed,  though  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  turn 
in  and  get  a  night's  sleep  in  preparation  for  the  toil- 
some journey  in  the  morning. 

I  was  on  deck  at  daylight  and  found  my  Japs  had  all 
299 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

disappeared  except  their  leader.  He  explained  to  me 
that  he  thought  it  best  to  get  them  ashore  during  the 
night  unobtrusively  in  sampans.  They  would  be 
waiting  for  us,  he  said,  two  or  three  miles  beyond  the 
port  on  the  Seoul  road.  Now  our  Excellencies  might 
disembark,  he  added,  without  attracting  any  attention. 
I  complimented  the  little  man  on  his  forethought,  and, 
sure  enough,  we  found  our  company  just  where  he  said 
we  would. 

The  next  surprise  was  that  Cammerford  also  had 
disappeared.  I  went  down  to  his  stateroom,  but  found 
his  bed  had  not  been  slept  in.  The  Japs  had  seen  noth- 
ing of  him,  neither  had  any  of  the  crew,  so  our  un- 
bidden guest  had  departed  as  he  came. 

Hilda  was  evidently  most  reluctant  to  take  the  jour- 
ney. She  told  me  she  had  seen  enough  of  Seoul  to 
last  her  a  lifetime,  but  as  she  found  that  Mr.  Hemster 
was  most  anxious  for  her  to  accompany  us,  she  did 
what  she  always  had  done,  and  sacrificed  her  own  in- 
clinations in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  others. 

We  had  got  nearly  half  way  to  Seoul  when  I  saw 
with  alarm  a  large  party,  apparently  of  Corean  soldiers, 
marching  westward.  They  were  easily  ten  to  one  as 
compared  with  our  escort,  yet  I  had  not  the  slightest 
doubt  our  Japs  would  put  them  all  to  flight  if  they  at- 
tempted to  bar  our  way.  Taking  two  of  the  Japs  with 
me,  I  galloped  on  ahead  to  learn  the  intentions  of  the 
cavalcade  in  front.  They  paused  in  their  march  on 
seeing  us  coming  up,  and  their  leader  galloped  forward 
to  meet  me.  To  my  surprise  I  saw  it  was  the  Prime 
Minister  himself. 

300 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

"  Well,  you  old  scoundrel,"  I  cried,  "  your  head  is 
still  on  your  shoulders  unfortunately.  What 's  the 
meaning  of  this  movement  of  troops.  Do  you  think 
you  're  going  to  stop  us  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  Excellency,  no.  I  have  come  to  greet  you, 
and  offer  you  the  profound  regard  of  the  Emperor 
himself." 

"  Now,  just  try  to  speak  the  truth  for  once ;  it  won't 
hurt  you.  You  know  very  well  that  you  had  no  word 
of  our  coming." 

"  Pardon,  most  Gracious  Excellency,  but  your  white 
ambassador  arrived  as  soon  as  the  gates  were  open  this 
morning." 

"  Our  white  ambassador !  Oh,  that 's  Cammer- 
ford,  very  likely.  So  he  has  reached  the  capital,  has 
he?" 

"  Yes,  Excellency,  and  has  received  the  honour 
due." 

"  That  ought  to  be  a  gorgeous  reception.  And  did 
he  send  you  to  meet  us  ?  " 

"  No,  Excellency,  it  was  the  white  Princess." 

"  Ah,  you  villain,  you  did  kidnap  her  after  alL 
Now  if  any  harm  has  come  to  her,  off  goes  your  head, 
and  down  goes  your  pasteboard  city." 

"  Ah,  Excellency,"  said  the  Prime  Minister  with  a 
wail  of  woe,  "  it  was  indeed  depths  of  wickedness,  but 
what  was  I  to  do?  If  I  did  not  bring  her  to  Seoul, 
not  only  was  my  head  lost,  but  the  heads  of  all  my  kin ; 
and  now,  alas,  the  Emperor  says  that  if  she  goes 
not  willingly  away  he  will  yet  execute  me,  and  all  my 
family  as  well.  Excellency,  it  was  an  unlucky  day 

301 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

when  the  white  Princess  came  to  the  Palace.  The  Em- 
peror is  in  fear  of  his  life,  and  terror  reigns  in  every 
corner.  Yet  she  would  not  go  until  the  King,  her 
father,  brought  his  war-ship  to  Chemulpo,  and  she  de- 
manded to  be  escorted  by  the  whole  court  with  the 
honours  of  an  Empress  from  the  capital  to  the  sea.  She 
was  going  to  make  the  Emperor  himself  come,  but  he 
bowed  his  forehead  in  the  dust,  a  thing  unknown  these 
ten  thousand  years  in  Corea,  and  so  she  laughed  at  him 
and  allowed  him  to  remain  in  the  Palace.  She  has 
made  a  mock  of  his  Majesty  and  his  ancestors." 

"  Serves  him  jolly  well  right,"  said  I,  beginning  to 
get  an  inkling  of  how  the  case  stood.  "  Her  ancestors 
fought  for  liberty,  and  it  is  not  likely  she  is  going  to  be 
deprived  of  hers  by  any  tan-bark  monarch  who  fool- 
ishly undertakes  the  job.  Is  the  lady  still  at  the  Pal- 
ace, Hun  Woe?" 

"  No,  Excellency,  she  is  on  her  way  hither,  escorted 
by  the  Court,  and  riding  proudly  with  her  white  am- 
bassador. Indeed,"  he  continued,  looking  over  his 
shoulder,  "  I  can  see  them  now,  coming  over  the  brow 
of  that  hill.  She  was  so  anxious  to  meet  her  father 
that  she  would  not  await  your  coming." 

"  All  right,  Hun  Woe,  you  line  up  your  troops  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  and  see  that  they  bow  low  when 
the  Princess  passes.  I  shall  return  and  acquaint  the 
King,  her  father,  with  the  state  of  the  poll." 

So  saying  I  wheeled  my  horse,  galloped  back,  and 
informed  the  old  gentleman  that  everything  was  all 
right.  He  heaved  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  and  I  fancied 
his  eyes  twinkled  somewhat  as  I  related  what  particu- 

302 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

lars  I  had  gathered  of  the  reign  of  terror  in  Seoul  since 
his  daughter's  enforced  arrival. 

By  the  time  I  had  finished  my  recital  the  cavalcade 
to  the  rear  had  passed  between  the  lines  of  prostrate 
soldiers.  The  old  gentleman  moved  forward  to  meet 
his  daughter,  and  she  came  galloping  on  her  pony  and 
greeted  him  with  an  affectionate  abandon  that  was  de- 
lightful to  see,  although  when  she  flung  her  arms  round 
his  neck  she  nearly  unhorsed  him.  Her  reception  of 
the  rest  of  us  was  like  that  of  a  school-girl  out  on  a 
lark.  She  seemed  to  regard  her  abduction  as  the 
greatest  fun  that  ever  was,  and  was  bubbling  with 
laughter  and  glee.  She  kissed  the  sedate  Hilda  as  if 
she  were  an  only  sister,  reproaching  herself  that  even 
for  a  moment  she  had  preferred  that  little  beast  of  a 
Countess,  as  she  called  her,  to  so  noble  a  treasure  as 
Miss  Stretton.  To  me  she  was  as  gracious  as  if  I 
were  her  dearest  friend. 

"  And  now,  Poppa,"  she  cried,  "  shall  I  make  this 
circus  come  with  us  to  Chemulpo?  I  can  do  what  I 
please  with  them ;  they  belong  to  me." 

"  I  don't  think  we  want  that  crowd  tagging  after  us, 
Gertie,"  said  her  father  without  enthusiasm. 

"  Then,  Mr.  Tremorne,"  she  said,  "  will  you  order 
them  home  again,  and  tell  'em  to  be  good  for  ever  after. 
And  oh!  I  want  you  to  ask  the  Prime  Minister  if  I 
did  n't  make  that  old  Emperor  kow-tow  to  me." 

"  He  has  already  admitted  that  you  did,  Miss  Hem- 
ster." 

"Then  that's  all  right:  I  thought  they'd  try  to 
deny  it." 

303 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

I  bade  an  affectionate  farewell  to  Hun  Woe,  who 
was  as  glad  to  be  quit  of  me  as  I  was  to  be  rid  of  him, 
and  we  have  never  seen  each  other  since. 

I  don't  remember  ever  taking  part  in  a  jollier  excur- 
sion than  that  which  now  set  forth  towards  Chemulpo, 
which  place  we  reached  before  sunset. 

Miss  Hemster  related  her  adventures  with  a  gusto 
and  enjoyment  that  I  never  saw  equalled.  Even  her 
father  smiled  now  and  then  at  the  exuberant  humour  of 
her  declamation.  It  seemed  that  the  Countess  was  in 
the  pay  of  the  Corean  Government,  probably  as  a  spy. 
The  Prime  Minister  had  telegraphed  her  to  win  the 
confidence  of  Miss  Hemster  if  she  could,  and  so  the 
Countess  had  made  application  to  the  American  Consul 
and  succeeded  even  beyond  her  fondest  hopes.  There 
had  been  no  intention  of  going  to  the  House  of  the  Mil- 
lion Blossoms,  but  she  had  proposed  instead  to  Miss 
Hemster  a  round  of  visits  among  the  nobility  of  Japan, 
or  at  least  whatever  section  of  them  lived  near  Naga- 
saki. As  this  round  was  to  take  some  time,  and  as  the 
Countess  proclaimed  that  it  must  be  done  in  strict 
secrecy,  she  outlined  the  writing  of  the  different  letters 
which  her  caretaker  at  the  villa  would  hand  to  who- 
ever called,  if  an  investigation  was  made,  as  the  wily 
Countess  thought  was  highly  probable,  and  this  scheme 
proved  peculiarly  attractive  to  Miss  Hemster  and  was 
accordingly  carried  out,  and  the  young  lady  laughed 
till  tears  came  into  her  eyes  when  I  told  her  how  I  had 
been  deceived  by  the  receipt  of  my  letter. 

After  landing  from  the  yacht  the  Countess  took  Miss 
Hemster  and  her  maid  to  a  tea  house  situated  on  the 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

shore  of  the  bay,  and  from  the  moment  they  drank  tea 
there,  Miss  Hemster  and  her  maid  remembered  nothing 
more  until  they  found  themselves  on  board  the  Chinese 
steamer. 

"  Did  you  know  about  the  attempted  sinking  of  the 
yacht  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  was  n't  sure,"  she  said.  "  I  was  in  a  sort  of 
daze :  I  seemed  to  have  awakened  when  they  began  to 
take  up  the  anchor,  but  I  was  stupid  and  headachy. 
Then  there  came  a  crash,  and  I  screamed  fit  to  kill,  but 
those  Chinese  brutes  put  us  into  the  cabin,  and  after 
that  of  course  there  was  no  escape.  We  did  not  land 
at  Chemulpo,  but  somewhere  along  the  coast.  It  was  a 
fearful  ride  into  Seoul,  but  after  that  I  had  my  re- 
venge; I  made  the  old  Emperor  and  his  Court  stand 
around,  I  tell  you,  for  I  had  a  revolver  and  plenty  of 
cartridges  in  my  trunk,  and  once  I  got  them  the  situa- 
tion belonged  to  me." 

"  And  where  are  your  trunks,  Gertie  ?  "  asked  her 
practical  father. 

"  Oh,  they  're  stored  in  Chemulpo.  The  Emperor 
wanted  me  to  leave,  but  I  would  n't  until  you  came  and 
I  was  provided  with  a  proper  escort.  He  wanted  me 
to  go  back  on  the  same  old  Chinese  tub,  but  I  told  him 
I  'd  a  steamer  of  my  own  coming." 

We  got  the  trunks  and  set  sail  for  Nagasaki  once 
more.  The  voyage  was  a  dream  of  delight.  Never 
did  I  see  Miss  Gertrude  Hemster,  or  any  one  else  for 
that  matter,  so  admirably  charming  and  considerate  of 
everyone  around  her.  Mr.  Cammerford  proved  a  most 
devoted  cavalier,  and  this  gave  Hilda  and  me  opportu- 

305 


A    CHICAGO    PRINCESS 

nity  for  converse  which  we  did  not  neglect.  Gertrude 
Hemster  cheered  her  father's  heart  by  telling  him  that 
she  was  tired  of  king-hunting  and  wanted  to  get  back 
to  Chicago.  When  we  arrived  at  Nagasaki  I  made 
arrangements  for  our  marriage  at  the  American  Con- 
sulate. Miss  Hemster  was  most  fascinatingly  sweet  to 
Hilda  when  she  heard  the  news.  We  all  went  together 
to  the  consulate,  Cammerford  asking  permission  to  join 
our  party.  When  we  arrived,  Cammerford,  who 
seemed  to  be  taking  a  great  deal  upon  himself,  said  po- 
litely to  the  Consul : 

"  I  should  think  a  real  American  wedding  takes 
precedence  over  an  international  affair,  but  at  any  rate 
I  bespoke  your  services  first." 

The  Consul  smiled  and  said  such  was  indeed  the 
case;  then,  to  the  amazement  of  Hilda  and  myself, 
Gertrude,  with  a  laugh,  took  the  outstretched  hand  of 
John  C.  Cammerford  and  stood  before  the  official,  who 
married  them  according  to  the  laws  of  the  land  to 
which  they  belonged. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  combine,  Mr.  Hem- 
ster ?  "  said  Cammerford  with  his  most  engaging  smile, 
holding  out  his  hand  to  his  newly  made  father-in-law. 
The  old  man  took  it  and  said  quietly : 
"  Whoever  makes  Gertie  happy  makes  me  content.'* 
Next  came  the  turn  of  Hilda  and  myself. 


THE    END 


306 


MARY  JOHNSTON'S 
NOVELS 

^ ^--._---_— .^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ v 
TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD 

It  was  something  new  and  startling  to  see  an  au- 
thor's first  novel  sell  up  into  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands, as  did  this  one.  The  ablest  critics  spoke  of 
it  in  such  terms  as  "  Breathless  interest,"  The  high 
water  mark  of  American  fiction  since  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  "  Surpasses  all,"  "  Without  a  rival,"  «  Teiv 
der  and  delicate,"  "  As  good  a  story  of  adventure  as 
one  can  find,"  "  The  best  style  of  love  story,  clean, 
pure  and  wholesome." 
AUDREY 

With  the  brilliant  imagination  and  the  splendid 
courage  of  youth,  she  has  stormed  the  very  citadel 
of  adventure.  Indeed  it  would  be  impossible  to 
carry  the  romantic  spirit  any  deeper  into  fiction.— 
Agnes  Repplisr. 

PRISONERS  OF  HOPE 

>  Pronounced  by  the  critics  classical,  accurate,  inter- 
esting, American,  original,  vigorous,  full  of  move- 
ment and  life,  dramatic  and  fascinating,  instinct  with 
life  and  passion,  and  preserving  throughout  a  singu- 
larly even  level  ot  excellence. 

Each  volume  handsomely  bound  in  cloth.  Large 
12  mo.  size.  Price,  75  cents  per  volume,  postpaid. 

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GROSSET  &  DUNLAP  EDITIONS 
THE  BLAZED  TRAIL 

Mingles  the  romance  of  the  forest  with  the  romance  of 
man's  heart,  making  a  story  that  is  big  and  elemental,  while 
not  Jacking  in  sweetness  and  tenderness.  It  is  an  epic  of  the 
life  of  the  lumberman  of  the  great  forest  of  the  Northwest* 
permeated  by  out  of  door  freshness,  and  the  glory  of  the 
struggle  with  nature. 

THE  SILENT  PLACES 

A  powerful  story  of  strenuous  endeavor  and  fateful  priva- 
tion in  the  frozen  North,  embodying  also  a  detective  story  of 
much  strength  and  skill.  The  author  brings  out  with  sure 
touch  and  deep  understanding  the  mystery  and  poetry  of  the 
still,  frost-bound  forest. 

THE  CLAIM  JUMPERS 

A  tale  of  a  Western  mining  camp  and  the  making  of  a  man, 
with  which  a  cha/ming  young  lady  has  much  to  do.  The 
tenderfoot  has  a  hard  time  of  it,  but  meets  the  situation, 
shows  the  stuff  he  is  made  of,  and  "  wins  out." 

THE  WESTERNERS 

A  tale  of  '  he  mining  camp  and  the  Indian  country,  full  of 
color  and  t)  ng  incident 

THE  MA^C  FOREST :  A  Modem  Fairy  Story. 

"No  better  book  could  be  put  in  a  young  bey's  hands," 
says  the  New  York  Sun.  It  is  a  happy  blend  of  knowledge 
of  wood  life  with  an  understanding  of  Indian  character,  as 
well  as  that  of  small  boys. 

Each  volume  handsomely  bound  in  cloth.  Price,  seventy- 
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A    FULL   AND    COMPLETE     EDITION     OF 

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cents.  The  same,  bound  in  three-quarter  morocco,  gilt 
top,  $2.50,  postpaid. 

THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON  AND  HER 
TIMES,    by  Mrs.  Roger  A.  Pryor. 

The  brilliant  social  life  of  the  time  passes  before 
tne  reader,  packed  full  of  curious  and  delightful  in- 
formation. More  kinds  of  interest  enter  into  it  than 
into  any  other  vohune  on  Colonial  Virginia.  Sixty 
illustrations.  Price,  seventy-five  cents,  postpaid. 

SHAKESPEARE'S  ENGLAND,  by  William  Winter 

-  A  record  of  rambles  in  England,  relating  largely 
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land of  fact,  as  the  England  created  and  hallowed 
by  the  spirit  of  her  poetry,  of  which  Shakespeare  is 
the  soul.  Profusely  illustrated.  Price,  seventy-five 
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THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  THE  CITIZEN,  by 
Jacob  A.  Riis.  <          i 

Should  be  read  by  every  man  and  boy  in  America. 
Because  it  sets  forth  an  ideal  of  American  Citizen- 
ship. An  Inspired  Biography  by  one  who  knows 
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THE  GKOSSET  AND  DUNLAP  SPECIAL 

EDITIONS  OF  POPULAR  NO  VELS  THAT 

lA  VE  BEEN  DRAMATIZED. 

BREWSTER'S    MILLIONS:      By   George   Barr 

McCutcheon. 

A  clever,  fascinating  tale,  with  a  striking  and  un- 
usual plot.  With  illustrations  from  the  original  New 
York  production  of  the  play. 

THE  LITTLE  MINISTER :    By  J.  M.  Barrie. 

With  illustrations  from  the  play  as  presented  by 
Maude  Adams,  and  a  vignette  in  gold  of  Miss  Adams 
on  the  cover. 

CHECKERS :    By  Henry  M.  Blossom,  Jr. 

A  story  of  the  Race  Track.  Illustrated  with  scenes 
from  the  play  as  originally  presented  in  New  York 
by  Thomas  W.  Ross jwho  created  the  stage  character. 

THE  CHRISTIAN :    By  Hall  Caine. 
THE  ETERNAL  CITY :    By  Hall  Caine. 

Each  has  been  elaborately  and  successfully  staged. 
IN  THE  PALACE  OF  THE  KING:    By  F.  Marion 
Crawford. 

A  love  story  of  Old  Madrid,  with  full  page  illustra- 
tions. Originally  played  with  great  success  by  Viola 
Allen. 

JANICE  MEREDITH :    By  Paul  Leicester  Ford, 
i     New  edition  with  an  especially  attractive  cover, 
a  really  handsome  book.    Originally  played  by  Mary 
Mannering,  who  created  the  title  role. 

These  books  are  handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  »re 
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PRINCESS  MARITZA 

A  NOVEL  OF  RAPID  ROMANCE. 

BY  PERCY  BREBNER 
With  Harrison  Fisher  Illustrations  in  Color. 

Offers  more  real  entertainment  and  keen  enjoyment  than 
any  book  since  "  Graustark."  Full  of  picturesque  life  and 
color  and  a  delightful  love-story.  The  scene  of  the  story  is 
Wallaria,  one  of  those  mythical  kingdoms  in  Southern  Europe. 
Maritza  is  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne,  but  is  kept  away  from 
her  own  country.  The  hero  is  a  young  Englishman  of  noble 
family.  It  is  a  pleasing  book  of  fiction.  Large  12  mo.  size. 
Handsomely  bound  in  cloth.  White  coated  wrapper,  with 
Harrison  Fisher  portrait  in  colors.  Price  75  cents,  postpaid. 

Books  by  George  Barr  McCutcheon 

BREWSTER'S  MILLIONS 

Mr.  Montgomery  Brewster  is  required  to  spend  a  million 
dollars  in  one  year  in  order  to  inherit  seven  millions.  He  must 
be  absolutely  penniless  at  that  time,  and  yet  have  spent  the 
million  in  a  way  that  will  commend  him  as  fit  to  inherit  the 
larger  sum.  How  he  does  it  forms  the  basis  for  one  of  the 
most  crisp  and  breezy  romances  of  recent  years. 
CASTLE  CRANEYCROW 

The  story  revolves  around  the  abduction  of  a  young  Ameri- 
can woman  and  the  adventures  created  through  her  rescue. 
The  title  is  taken  from  the  name  of  an  old  castle  on  the  Con- 
tinent, the  scene  of  her  imprisonment. 

GRAUSTARK:  A  Story  of  a  Love  Behind  a  Throne. 

This  work  has  been  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  popular 
works  of  fiction  of  this  decade.  The  meeting  of  the  Princess 
of  Graustark  with  the  hero,  while  travelling  incognito  in  this 
country,  his  efforts  to  find  her,  his  success,  the  defeat  of  con- 
spiracies to  dethrone  her,  and  their  happy  marriage,  provide 
entertainment  which  every  type  of  reader  will  enjoy. 

THE  SHERRODS.  With  illustrations  by  C.  D.Williams 
A  novel  quite  unlike  Mr.  McCutcheon's  previous  works  in 
the  field  of  romantic  fiction  and  yet  possessing  the  charm  in- 
separable from  anything  he  writes.  The  scene  is  laid  in  In- 
diana and  the  theme  is  best  described  in  the  words,  "  Whom 
God  hath  joined,  let  no  man  put  asunder." 

Each  volume  handsomely  bound  in  cloth.  Large  12010.  size. 
Price  75  cents  per  volume,  postpaid. 

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52  DUANE  STREET  ::  NEW  YORK 


FAMOUS  COPYRIGHT   BOOKS 
IN   POPULAR  PRICED    EDITIONS 

Re-issues  of  the  great;  literary  successes  of  the  time.    Library 
size.    Printed  on  excellent  paper — most  of  them  with  illustra* 
tions  of  marked  beauty — and   handsomely  bound  in  cloth* 
j  Price,  75  cents  a  volume,  postpaid. 

BEVERLY  OF  GRAUSTARK.  By  George  Barr  McCut- 
cheon.  With  Color  Fron*;epiece  and  other  illustrations 
by  Harrison  Fisher.  Beautiful  inlay  picture  m  colors  oi 
Beverly  on  the  cover. 

"  The  most  fascinating,  engrossing  and  picturesque  of  the  season '9 
novels. " — Boston  Herald.  "  '  Beverly '  is  altogether  charming — al- 
most living  flesh  and  blood." — Louisville  Times.  "Better  than 
•  Graustark  '." — Mail  and  Express.  "  A  sequel  quite  as  impossible 
as  '  Graustark '  and  quite  as  entertaining."— Bookman.  M  A  charm* 
ing  love  story  well  told."— Boston  Transcript, 

HALF  A  T.OGUE.    By  Harold  MacGrath.     With  illustra- 
tions and  inlay  cover  picture  by  Harrison  Fisher. 
"  Here  are  dexterity  of  plot,  glancing  play  at  witty  talk,  characters 
really  human  and  humanly  reai,  spirit  and  gladness,  freshness  and 
quick  movement.    '  Half  a  Rogue '  is  as  brisjc  as  a  horseback  ride  on 
a  glorious  morning.   It  is  as  varied  as  an  April  day.   It  is  as  charming 
as  two  most  charming  girls  can  make  it.      Love  and  honor  and  suc- 
cess and  all  the  great  things  worth  fighting  for  and  living  for  the  in« 
volved  in  '  Half  a  Rogue.'  "—Phila.  Press. 

THE  GIRL  FROM  TIM'S  PLACE.     By  Charles  Clark 

Munn.  With  illustrations  by  Frank  T.  Merrill. 
"Figuring  in  the  pages  of  this  story  there  are  several  strong  char* 
acters.  Typical  New  England  folk  and  an  especially  sturdy  one,  old 
Cy  Walker,  through  whose  instrumentality  Chip  comes  to  happiness 
and  fortune.  There  is  a  chain  of  comedy,  tragedy,  pathos  and  love» 
which  makes  a  dramatic  story." — Boston  Herald. 

THE  LION  AND  THE  MOUSE.    A  story  of  American  Life. 
By  Charles  Klein,  and  Arthur  Hornblow.      With  illustra* 
(        tions  by  Stuart  Travis,  and  Scenes  from  the  Play. 

The  novel  duplicated  the  success  of  the  play;  in  fact  the  book  is 
greater  than  the  play.  A  portentous  clash  of  dominant  personalties 
that  form  the  essence  of  the  play  are  necessarily  touched  upon  but 
briefly  in  the  short  space  of  four  acts.  All  this  is  narrated  in  the 
novel  with  a  wealth  of  fascinating  and  absorbing  detail,  making  it  one 
of  the  most  powerfully  written  and  exciting  works  of  fiction  given  to 
the  world  in  years. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  .  NEW  YORK 


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IN    POPULAR    PRICED  EDITIONS 

Re-I«sues  of  the  great  literary  successes  of  the  time.  Library 
size.  Printed  on  excellent  paper — most  of  them  wiuh  illustra- 
tions of  marked  beauty — and  handsomely  bound  in  cloth. 
Price,  75  cents  a  volume,  postpaid. 

BARBARA   WINSLOW,   REBEL.     By  Elizabeth  Ellis. 

With  illustrations  by  John  Rae.  and  colored  inlay  cover. 
The  following,  taken  from  stor",  will  best  describe  the  heroine  ^ 
<V  TOAST :  "  To  the  bravest  comrade  in  misfortune,  the  sweetest 
?ompanion  in  peace  and  at  ail  times  the  most  courageous  of  women." 
~-Barbara  Winslow.  "  A  romantic  story,  buoyant,  eventful,  and  in 
patters  of  love  exactly  what.the  heart  .could  desire."— New  York  Sun. 

SUSAN.    By  Ernest  Oldmeadow.    With  a  color  frontispiece 

by  Frank  Haviland.  Medalion  in  color  on  front  cover. 
Lord  Raddington  falls  helplessly  in  love  with'Miss  Langley,  whom 
he  sees  in  one  of  her  walks  accompanied  by  her  maid,  Susan. 
Through  a  misapprehension  of  personalities  his  lordship  addresses 
ft  love  missive  to  ths  maid.  Susan  accepts  in  peiA^t  good  faith, 
and  an  epistolary  love-making  goes  on  till  they  are  disillusioned.  It 
oaturally  makes  a  droll  and  delightful  little  comedy ;  and  is  a  story 
lhat  is  particularly  clever  in  the  telling. 

WHEN  PATTY  WENT  TO  COLLEGE.    By  Jean  Web- 

ster.  With  illustrations  by  C.  D.  Williams. 
'The  book  is  a  treasure."— Chicago  Daily  News.  "Bright, 
•rnimsical,  and  thoroughly  entertaining. " — Buffalo  Express.  "  One 
of  the  best  stories  of  life  in  a  girl's  college  that  has  ever  been  writ- 
ten.''-—.//. Y.  Press.  "  To  any  woman  who  has  enjoyed  the  pleasures 
of  a  college'lif e  this  book  cannot  fail  to  bring  back  many  sweet  recol- 
lections ;  and  to  those  who  have  not  been  to  college  the  wit,  lightness, 
and  charm  of  Patty  are  sure  to  be  no  less  delightful.  "—Public  Opinion, 

THE  MASQUERADER.     By  Katherine  Cecil  Thurston. 

With  illustrations  by  Clarence  F.  Underwood. 
•'  You  can't  drop  it  till  you  have  turned  the  last  page."—Ctfvetan£ 
Leader.    "  Its  very  audacity  of  motive,  of  execution,  of  solution,  al- 
most takes  one's  breath  away.     The  boldness  of  its  denouement 
is  sublime." — Boston  Transcript.    "  The  literary  hit  of  a  generation. 
The  best  of  it  is  the  story  deserves  all  its  success.    A  masterly  story." 
»-St.  Louis  -Di spate h.    "  The  story  is  ingeniously  told,  and  cleverly  i 
Constructed."—  The  Dial.  ' 

THE  GAMBLER.    By  Katnerine  Cecil  Thurston.     With( 

illustrations  by  John  Campbell. 

"  Tells  of  a  high  strung  young  Irish  woman  who  has  a  passion  for 
gambling,  inherited  from  a  long  line  of  sporting  ancestors.  She  has 
a  high  sense  of  honor,  too,  and  that  causes  complications.  She  is  a 
very  human,  lovable  character,  and  love  saves  ner." — N.  Y.  Times. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,      -      NEW  YORK 


FAMOUS  COPYRIGHT  BOOKS 
IN   POPULAR   PRICED   EDITIONS 

Re-issues  of  the  great  literary  successes  of  the  time.  Library 
size.  Printed  on  excellent  paper — most  of  them  with  illustra- 
tions of  marked  beauty — and  handsomely  bound  in  cloth. 
Price,  75  cents  a  volume,  postpaid. 

THE  AFFAIR  AT  THE  INN.    By  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin. 

With  illustrations  by  Martin  Justice. 

"  As  superlatively  clever  in  the  writing  as  it  is  entertaining  in  the 
reading.  It  is  actual  comedy  of  the  most  artistic  sort,  and  it  is 
handled  with  a  freshness  and  originality  that  is  unquestionably 
novel." — Boston  Transcript.  "  A  feast  of  humor  and  good  cheer, 
yet  subtly  pervaded  by  special  shades  of  feeling,  fancy,  tenderness, 
or  whimsicality.  A  merry  thing  in  prose." — St.  Louis  Democrat, 

ROSE  O'  THE  RIVER.    By  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin     With 
illustrations  by  George  Wright. 

'Rose  o'  the  River,'  a  charming  bit  of  sentiment,  gracefully 
written  and  deftly  touched  with  a  gentle  humor.  It  is  a  dainty  boot 
—daintily  illustrated." — New  York  Tribune.  "A  wholesome,  bright, 
refreshing  story,  an  ideal  book  to  give  a  young  girl." — Chicago 
Record-Herald.  "  An  idyllic  story,  replete  with  pathos  and  inimita* 
ble  humor.  As  story-telling  it  is  perfection,  and  as  portrait-painting 
it  is  true  to  the  life.  — London  Mail. 

TILLIE :    A  Mennonite  Maid.    By  Helen  R.  Martin.    With 

illustrations  by  Florence  Scovel  Shinn. 

The  little  "  Mennonite  Maid  "  who  wanders  through  these  pages 
is  something  quite  new  in  fiction.  Tillie  is  hungry  for  books  and 
beauty  and  love ;  and  she  comes  into  her  inheritance  at  the  end. 
"  Tillie  is  faulty,  sensitive,  big-hearted,  eminently  human,  and  first, 
last  and'always  lovable.  Her  charm  glows  warmly,  the  story  is  well 
handled,  the  characters  skilfully  developed. "--The  Book  Buyer. 

LADY  ROSE'S  DAUGHTER.    By  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward. 

With  illustrations  by  Howard  Chandler  Christy. 
"The  most  marvellous  work  of  its  wonderful  author." — New  York 
World.  "We  touch  regions  and  attain  altitudes  which  it  is  not  given 
to  the  ordinary  novelist  even  to  approach." — London  Times.  "Iff 
no  other  story  has  Mrs.  Ward  approached  the  brilliancy  and  vivacity 
of  Lady  Rose's  Daughter."— North  American  Review. 

THE  BANKER  AND  THE  BEAR.  By  Henry  K.  Webster. 
"  An  exciting  and  absorbing  story."— New  York  Times.  "Intense- 
ly thrilling  in  parts,  but  an  unusually  good  story  all  through.  There 
is  a  love  affair  of  real  charm  and  most  novel  surroundings,  there  is  a 
run  on  the  bank  which  is  almost  worth  a  year's  growth,  and  there  is 
all  manner  of  exhilarating  men  and  deeds  which  should  bring  the 
book  into  high  and  permanent  favor." — Chicago  Evening  Post. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  -  NEV,  YORK 


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